raven hobo bag

a sewing pattern by
 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

raven This bag is a classic hobo shape with slouchy sides. It features a contrast

hobo bag
gusset in vinyl, an exposed zipper pocket on the front, vinyl handles, and
an optional wing motif.

difficulty : makes :
This uses a bit of an intermediate method of inserting one bag that measures 13” wide,
zippers, plus attaching the gusset is a little tricky. 12” tall, and about 5” deep

materials & tools

• 2/3 yd. of medium to heavyweight • 6” x 12” scrap of light or heavy
fabric for main bag (canvas or denim duty fusible web
would be perfect – I used twill) • Matching sewing thread
• ½ yd. of medium to heavyweight • Basic sewing tools (sewing machine,
contrast fabric for sides and straps scissors, iron, needles, pins, fabric
(canvas or twill would be perfect – I marker, seam ripper)
used vinyl)
• ¾ yd. of lightweight fabric for lining
(I used quilting cotton)
• 10” long zipper (at least)
• Four 1” wide metal rings
• Complementing fabric paint for the
wing motifs OR:
• Appliqué supplies:
• 6” x 12” scrap of appliqué fabric
(cotton, felt, etc.)

before you begin :

1. Print out the project pattern, pages 4. Mark the fabric pieces with the guide-
10-18 lines from the pattern
2. Assemble the printed pattern pieces
3. Lay out the pattern pieces on your
fabric and cut them out

2
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 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

1 Before we get underway,

the first step is the to
get the wing motif on the
front of your bag. I chose
to go with fabric paint to get
the look that I wanted, you can
see how with the tutorial I wrote,
found here:
http://cholyknight.
com/2013/05/02/tutorial-fab-
ric-painting-with-stencils/
But if you’d prefer appliqué, this
is where you would fuse your
appliqué fabric to the front
of your bag using the pattern
guidelines. Then sew it in place if
you desire :D

2 The exposed zipper look

that I achieved on the
front of the bag uses a
technique that’s a little
beyond beginner. It’s made
by sewing kind a window in the
fabric. You’ll do this by layering
one of your pocket pieces over
your bag front with right sides
together. Match up the zipper
placement boxes exactly, then
sew along the outline of this
box so the two pieces are sewn
together.

3
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 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

Following the guidelines

that run inside the box,
cut open the inside of the
box, getting as close to the
3
corners as possible without
accidentally snipping the thread.
Turn the pocket to the wrong
side of the bag front using that
opening you just cut. It will feel a
little strange, but if you smooth
out the seam lines from the box
you’ve sewn, you’ll see that you
can turn it right side out with
just a little bit of finagling. Press
it firmly so the edges look nice
and crisp.

If you’ve turned the fabric

properly, it should look
something like this. The
two fabrics sewn together
4
from that rectangle forms a
little window. Once that area is
firmly pressed, lay your zipper
behind it and hold it in place
with pins or tape as I’ve done
here. Then you’ll want to sew all
the way around the rectangle,
making sure that you’re also
catching the zipper tape, and
the slider of the zipper is pulled
to the middle of the window. Be
careful when sewing over the
zipper; you’ll want to do it very
slowly. Trim the excess zipper
tape when you finish.

4
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 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

5 To complete the pocket,

fold back the main bag
fabric and focus on the
pocket section that’s now
connected to your zipper. Take
your remaining pocket piece and
line it up with the first pocket
piece by matching up all the raw
edges with right sides together.
Sew around the entire perim-
eter of the square, and that
completes your pocket! Since
it’s part of the lining, there’s no
need to turn it right side out or
anything like that :D

6 When you’re finished, your

pocket should look some-
thing like this. This will all
be hidden by the main lining
of your bag when you finish.

5
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 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

Now you can sew on the sides. Take

your bag sides piece and match up
the square markings that appear in
7
the corners with the square markings
that are on the sides of the bag front.
Match up the raw edges as you go around
the sides and bottom of the bag. If it all
matches up properly, then you are free to
sew it in place.
When you finish, repeat this with the
other long edge of the bag sides and your
bag back piece. Go back and repeat this
step with your lining pieces as well, except
remember to leave an opening in the
bottom of the bag as the pattern indicates
for turning it right side out :D

tip: Consider clipping into the seam allowances of the bag sides (about 3/8” to ½”).
This will help the edge stretch and curve around the bag sides a lot easier.

With both the lining and

the main bag done, you’ll
want to sew them together
8
along the top edge. Nestle
the main bag into the lining with
right sides together and match
up the upper edge. This includes
matching up the extensions at
the top of the bag as well as the
top edges of the side pieces.
When everything is all lined up
and pinned, you can sew along
the top edge, being sure to pivot
at the corners where sides meet
at the bag front and back. Go
around the entire perimeter.

6
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sewing tutorial

9 When you finish it should

look something like this. It’s
an odd shape, but if you
manage to get through all
the pivoting it’ll look perfect
when you turn it inside out.
From here you’ll want to clip all
the corners and curves – espe-
cially the convex corners where
the bag sides meet the bag front
and back. Then turn the bag
right side out from the opening in
the lining and even out the top
edge, poking the extensions with
a chopstick to get them back
out and all that. Iron this top
edge really firmly so it looks crisp.

10 To keep it looking crisp,

edge stitch around the
top edge, pivoting at all
the corners and what not
just as in step 8. When you
finish with that, you’ll want to
go back and sew up the opening
left in the lining either with a
hand sewn ladder stitch or an
edge stitch done by machine.
And that’s pretty much the main
body of the bag! Give yourself a
pat on the back, and next we do
the straps ^-^

7
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 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

If you’re using a lighter

weight fabric, you’ll want
to create your straps by
folding each edge under by
11
5/8”, then folding the whole
strap in half with wrong sides
facing, then edge stitching the
folded edges together.
Mine was a little different
however. Since I was using thick
vinyl, it doesn’t fold as cleanly or
easily. In that case it was best
to fold the strap piece into thirds
and sew down both edges.
Whatever fabric you’re using,
you’ll want to repeat this with
your other strap piece.

To attach the metal rings,

you’ll want to loop one
through one of the bag
extensions at the top edge.
12
Then fold the extension down
upon itself by about 1½”. Sew the
overlapped area in place with a
box stitch. Repeat this with the
other 3 extensions and remaining
metal rings.

8
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 raven hobo bag
sewing tutorial

13 Then lastly you’ll need to

attach the strap to the
other half of your metal
rings. Loop the end of one
of your straps through a metal
ring on the front side and fold
it over on itself just as in the
previous step. Sew it in place
with a box stitch. The other end
of your strap should go through
the remaining metal ring on the
front side. Be sure that the strap
doesn’t get twisted along the
way.
Once you have one side
complete, take your other strap
and repeat this with the back
side of your bag.

9
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B1 B2 Raven Hobo Bag
P A T T E R N
www.cholyknight.com
BAG FRONT & BACK
Cut 2 of main fabric
Cut 2 of lining
5/8” seam allowance
Pg. 1/9

A1 A2
 9

A1 A2
zipper placement

B3 B4

paint/applique placement
Pg. 2/9

A3 A4
 /9

A3 A4
opening for turning
(lining only)

B5 B6
Pg. 3/9
 B1 B2
Pg. 4/9

C1 C2
D1 D2
 B3 B4
/9 Pg. 5/9

C3 C4
C1 C2

Raven Hobo Bag

P A T T E R N
www.cholyknight.com
BAG SIDES
Cut 1 on fold of contrast fabric
Cut 1 on fold of lining fabric
5/8” seam allowance
D3 D4
 B5 B6
/9 Pg. 6/9

C3 C4
cut on fold

D5 D6
 D1 D2
Pg. 7/9

WING APPLIQUE/TEMPLATE
Cut 2 (one reversed)

E1 E2
 /9

E1 E2
Raven Hobo Bag
P A T T E R N D3 D4
www.cholyknight.com
POCKET
Cut 2 on fold of lining fabric
5/8” seam allowance
cut on fold
Pg. 8/9

E3 E4
 /9

E3 E4
D5 D6
Raven Tote Bag STRAPS
P A T T E R N Cut 2 from contrast fabric
www.cholyknight.com 5/8” seam allowance
Pg. 9/9