As I told you last week, I really enjoy embroidery and I have several customization ideas that have been running through my head for weeks... In short, this week, I invite you to discover the realization of my embroidered fanny pack!

In 2020, I made a crazy patch fanny pack with scraps of Japanese fabric that I love, based on the free pattern from petit patron which has since been removed from their shop... but no matter... I thought that a fanny pack is not that complicated to draft when you have a little/a lot of sewing experience. 

So this week, I'm telling you about my creative adventure with an embroidered fanny pack! 

1. The pattern 

Fanny packs mostly consist of 3 main pieces: a front, a back, and a "top" that gives volume to the bag. 

The vast majority of fanny packs open with a zipper that can be found:

• on the front (cut) 
• between the front and the top, and often then the bag opens all the way
• on the back (cut)

Depending on the models, you may have more pieces:

• for the sides, often in models with a zipper on the front
• a front in several parts to create color plays, or to be able to insert piping...
• ...

Finally, you can make "mini," "midi," or "maxi" versions by reducing or enlarging the pattern. 

For my version, I chose to insert the zipper on the front because I find that it adds a playful touch by contrasting the colors. I wanted the zipper edges to be perfect, so I added a clean finish strip on the ends of my zipper. 

All that was left was to draft the sides on either side of the zipper to finish the fanny pack nicely and to be able to insert webbing. 

I chose to create a lined version of the bag because I find that on one hand it looks much nicer and on the other hand it strengthens the whole thing!

2. The materials

To make a lined fanny pack, you will need:

• outer fabric
• lining fabric
• possibly some fusible interfacing depending on your fabric choice; S320 or H630 are good options
• a zipper at least 30cm long or a zipper by the meter (zip au mètre)
• some webbing 
• hardware: buckle, ring, snap hooks depending on the attachment method you have chosen. 
• some bias tape possibly for the interior finishes
• some good quality matching thread

For my version, I chose to use jeans, I used a small coupon of the raw blue Cavalli jeans that I sell in the shop 😊 and a scrap of fuchsia twill I had left. I did not fuse my fabrics because I chose two fabrics that have body. 

I chose a fuchsia pink zipper by the meter matching the lining (and my embroidery) for which I installed the sliders facing each other. 

For the hardware, I chose a D-ring and a rose gold adjustment buckle of very fine Italian quality. 

Finally, I chose a fluorescent pink bias tape for the interior finishes. 

For an embroidered fanny pack, you will need to add to this initial list of materials:

• quality mouliné thread in colors matching the chosen pattern
• light thread if you want to add metallic effects
• good embroidery needles
• solufix or magic paper to transfer the pattern
• embroidery scissors
• possibly a embroidery hoop

For my creation, I was inspired by Japanese cherry blossoms. I chose to embroider them mainly with chain stitch, straight stitch, and knot stitch. I selected two colors of mouliné for the flowers, a soft green for the foliage, and a DMC light skein for the flower centers. 

I used solufix to transfer the pattern onto the bag. 

3. The creation steps

3a. Embroidery

I transferred the pattern onto the solufix, making sure to position the patterns correctly on the front of the fanny pack. 

Then, I embroidered the foliage and the flowers with chain stitch in three rows: one fuchsia, one light, and the last in soft pink. The center and stamens are embroidered with light thread. 

After embroidering the entire pattern (and slightly hurting my fingers 😅 because the jeans toile is quite thick), I washed the jeans and the solufix disappeared, revealing the beautiful pattern. 

3b. Assembly

I cut the different pieces, taking care to cut the front piece according to the patterns I had just embroidered. 

I started by placing the two sliders on my zipper tape facing each other. I sewed small clean finish strips at the zipper ends and topstitched them. 

Then I sewed the front and top to the zipper; then the sides to the whole piece. 

Before sewing the back to the rest, I made a pocket on the back lining. I like to slip my transport card in there. So I made a patch pocket with the top edge sewn with a decorative stitch. Once the pocket was placed on the lining, I finished assembling the back. 

To get nice finishes inside the bag, I edged the seam allowances with bias tape before turning the bag right side out to see the result...

Then I assembled the webbings and finished the adjustment using the hardware... and ta-da! 

4. My feedback 

I loved combining my two passions: embroidery and sewing in the same project, even though the embroidery took much longer than the sewing for this little project! 

I really like fanny packs because they let you keep your essentials safe and within reach while keeping your hands free for shopping or using public transport. I really enjoyed sewing this project and planning out the main steps. 

This version gave me new design ideas that I’d like to bring to life in the future. It’s a project with many possibilities, and I definitely plan to explore it further! 

There you go, you know everything about my little sewing project that kept me busy from September to November. I hope it inspires you to get started! And if you want to sew your fanny pack with me in the workshop, it's now possible! And an embroidered version is possible by combining the embroidery and sewing courses... Pretty cool, right?

Feel free to check out our course schedule. 

So all that's left to do is... Grab your needles!