Tips for Buying Fabric for Sewing Bags and Purses

Tips for Buying Fabric for Sewing Bags and Purses

by Karla Fidoe (owner and maker of Pop of Color Bags)

Choosing the right fabrics helps your bag look luxurious instead
of looking like a school craft project.

Take me to a fabric store and I'm like Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. I want everything! Sewing bags and purses that don't look homemade requires special considerations when choosing your fabrics. (It turns out I had so many tips, I decided to concentrate on the exterior purse fabric only in this blog).

1. Price per yard

I know, this is kind of cheating for a list about choosing a specialty fabric, but I do consider the price per yard when I am purchasing fabric. If I'm making a tote bag, it takes 1/2 yard for the outside of the bag. That means I can only make 2 totes out of one yard. I'm unwilling to pay more than $11 for a yard that can only make 2 bags. However, that specialty fabric that is $20 a yard for making wristlets? I can make 6 wristlets with that yard, so $20 isn't too bad of a deal. My general rule of thumb is to never pay more than $5.50 for the exterior fabric.

2. Weight of fabric

Upholstery fabric - notice how wristlet
stands on it's own with minimum sag.

The best thing about going to a fabric store is being able to touch all of the things! To me, weight is the feel of the fabric in your hand, not that the fabric is actually heavy. Depending on the type of bag you are sewing, you want your exterior fabric choice to give your bag structure and balance. A cotton print for quilting would never stand on it's own. It would wrinkle, sag, and show wear on the handles very quickly.
Upholstery fabric, utility fabrics (like cork fabric), vinyls (faux leather), oilcloths, outdoor fabric, and some home decor canvas fabrics are great choices for the outside of your bag.
While you want your exterior fabric to have weight, you don't want it to actually weigh a ton. Pick up the bolt you're considering, unroll it a few times, open it up, and take time to imagine what it would feel like when making a tote or wristlet. (This may seem silly, but I've made a tote bag that clocked in at 4 pounds before I added my wallet and items I carry in it).

This is one of my early coin purses.
I used a cotton calico print. Notice how
the key ring sags because the fabric does
not have the weight to hold it's shape?

Unrolling the bolt and opening up the fabric also lets you consider if the fabric is stiff enough to add structure. Some home decor canvases are almost like quilting cotton and are not good for exteriors of bags. *I do want to note that you can stiffen any fabric by using interfacing, but at $3.99 a yard for Pellon Craft Fuse, this gets expensive really fast. It's easier to just pick a fabric that won't need stiffening.
*A crossbody or hobo bag may not need much structure, so you can use a wider range of fabrics for these purses.

3. Feel of Fabric

A purse is meant to be carried - either by your hands or slung over a shoulder. You don't want

This upholstery fabric has velvet in the navy blue outlines
of the leaves. The cream fabric feels like really plush
carpet without the thick pile. Joann's Fabric $9 a yard.

something scratchy, you want something that feels luxurious. When you carry it, you want to feel like a million bucks, so choose a fabric you can pet. I love a buttery soft faux leather or micro suede bag. Natural Cork fabric is very smooth, as well. You can always layer a printed fabric on top of the exterior if you want more visual appeal.

4. Ability to Iron

This tip is not a deal breaker for me. It just means I'm more careful with how I use the fabric. If I'm using a faux leather vinyl for a tote bag exterior, I tend to not use the same material for the handles knowing that you can't pin leather, you can't iron it, and it's super hard to sew right sides together in a tube and try to turn the tube right side out. Think about the type of bag you are making, and the different steps. If you need to iron the fabric to help you sew straight, top stitch a zipper, or add embellishments, choose something else.
*And yes, I know I could use Wonder clips to pin my vinyl, but I need the iron to show me a straight line. If I fold and clip a strap, I end up with one end of the strap WAY wider than the other. I swear my eyesight is crooked!

5. Ease of Sewing

I love haunting the clearance section at Joann Fabrics for their upholstery and faux leather fabrics. Most are marked either $9 or $12 a yard, and you can use coupons on these cuts as well. Through trial and error, I've learned that some faux leather fabrics glide right under your machine foot, and others require me to use tissue paper between the foot and leather. Pulling tissue paper out of every stitch is NOT my idea of a good time!

Use tissue paper to top stitch faux leather that won't glide
under your machine foot. 

I like to tear off the tissue paper underneath my seam first. I
then cross my fingers and hope that pulling off the tissue
paper on top of the seam comes completely out without leaving
little bits behind. Any little bits stuck between stitches, I simply
use tweezers to pull out.

So, feel the fabric. If it is smooth and has that buttery texture, you are good to go. If you glide your hand across and it feels a little gummy, you'll need the tissue paper trick to sew any top stitching.

Thoughts? Leave them in the comment section! Interested in my finished pieces? Check them out at my #etsyshop Pop of Color Bags.

https://www.quikly.com/joannstores/s/mGXnzxgK