Crossbody bags have been around for a long time, but none are quite as iconic as the Louis Vuitton Crossbody. If you’re wondering how to make one yourself, you’ve come to the right place. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of creating your very own Louis Vuitton Crossbody.
Materials Needed
Before we begin, let’s take a look at the materials you’ll need for this project:
- Outer fabric – You’ll need 1 yard of canvas or leather fabric.
- Lining fabric – You’ll need 1 yard of cotton fabric for the lining.
- Interfacing – You’ll need 1 yard of medium-weight interfacing.
- Hardware – You’ll’ll need a crossbody strap and a set of metal rings and sliders.
- Zippers – You will require two zippers, one measuring 8 inches and another measuring 14 inches.
- Thread – A matching thread color is recommended to give your bag a professional finish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One: Cutting Out Your Pieces
Begin by cutting out all your pieces from your chosen outer and lining fabrics. Use your pattern paper to cut out two rectangular pieces measuring approximately 12 x 8 inches for the bag body and two smaller rectangles measuring approximately 8 x 6 inches for the front pocket. Cut one strip of fabric measuring approximately 4 x18 inches for the zipper pull tab.
Next, cut out your interfacing pieces using your pattern paper again. Cut two rectangles that match the size of your bag body pieces.
Step Two: Attaching Interfacing
Take each fabric piece for the bag body and front pocket, and attach one of the interfacing pieces to each using an iron on medium heat. Make sure the interfacing is centered and adhered to the wrong side of the fabric piece.
Step Three: Creating Your Front Pocket
Take your two smaller rectangles cut earlier for the front pocket pieces and place them right sides together. Pin them in place along the top edge and sew a straight stitch along the pinned edge using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Flip your fabric right side out and press it flat. Topstitch along the top edge to keep it in place.
Step Four: Adding Your Zippers
Take your 8-inch zipper and one of your bag body pieces. Place your zipper face down on top of your bag body piece, aligning it with one of its short edges. Sew it in place using a zipper foot attachment on your sewing machine.
Next, take another bag body piece and place it face down on top of your other zipper end, aligning it with its short edge. Sew this in place as well using a zipper foot attachment.
Repeat this process with your 14-inch zipper on the other set of bag body pieces.
Step Five: Creating Your Bag Body
Now that you have both zippers attached to each set of bag body pieces, you can begin assembling them. Take one set of bag body pieces with its attached zipper and join them along their long edges with right sides together. Repeat this process with the other set of bag body pieces as well.
Once complete, you should have two connected rectangles that will form the front and back panels of your crossbody bag.
Step Six: Attaching Your Front Pocket
Take your front pocket piece that you created earlier and center it onto one side of your front panel piece. Pin it in place and sew around the three sides using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Step Seven: Creating Your Strap
Take your strip of fabric for your zipper pull tab and fold it in half lengthwise with right sides together. Sew along the long edge using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Flip it right side out and press it flat. Fold it in half and sew the two ends together to create a loop.
Step Eight: Attaching Your Hardware
Take your metal rings and sliders and attach them to each end of your crossbody strap loop. Thread your strap through the rings and sliders, making sure they are evenly spaced.
Step Nine: Finishing Touches
Finally, take both of your front panel pieces with their attached zippers, pin them together with right sides facing each other, and sew around all three edges using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Remember to leave a small gap at the bottom for turning.
Flip your bag right side out through the gap you left. Once complete, you can hand-stitch this gap closed.
Congratulations! You’ve now created your very own Louis Vuitton Crossbody bag!