Sallie Tomato Ginger Crossbody Bag Pattern

Today I am sharing with you this Sallie Tomato Crossbody bag that I made for myself.  This bag was sewn using a kit from Missouri Star Quilt Company and the Ginger Crossbody Bag pattern by Sallie Tomato.

The Ginger crossbody bag features a zipper exterior pocket, magnet snap closure, an inside slip pocket, and an adjustable crossbody strap made of cork.  All seams inside the bag and pocket are fully finished seams with no raw edges.

This Sallie Tomato pattern was designed for beginners and the instructions are very detailed with lots of photos making this bag easy to sew. 

Learn more about this Sallie Tomato Crossbody Bag Pattern by watching our video or keep reading this article.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Sallie Tomato Ginder Crossbody Bag Pattern
• Cotton Fabric (Exterior & Lining)
• Cork Fabric (or contrast cotton fabric)
• Fusible Interfacing
• Fusible Fleece or Foam
• 3/4" Level 4 Hardware Kit
• Zipper & Zipper Pull

About the Sallie Tomato Crossbody Bag

The Ginger Crossbody handbag I made has both cotton and cork fabric. The cork is on the bottom half of the bag and the cotton is the top half, flap and interior of the bag.

The strap is also made from the cork.

The inside of the bag has a contrasting color fabric lining and a slip pocket.

All of the seams inside the bag and the front zipper pocket are finished with no raw edges.  This gives the bag a professional look.

A magnet snap closure was included in the hardware package.

I purchased a kit from Missouri Star Quilt Company and it came with everything needed to make this handbag including the pattern, fabrics, interfacing, cork, zipper, magnet snap closure and strap hardware.

The Ginger Crossbody bag is a medium-sized bag large enough to fit a wallet, sunglasses and some personal items.  It’s 11” wide, 10” high and 3” deep.

About the Sallie Tomato Ginger Crossbody Bag Pattern

The kit included a printed pattern for the Ginger Crossbody Bag.  This pattern can also be purchased from the Sallie Tomato website as either a printed pattern or a downloadable PDF pattern.

The pattern envelope has information on all of the supplies needed to make this crossbody handbag.

The pattern pieces for the bag are printed on both sides of 8.5" x 11" paper. Because of this, the pattern pieces will need to be traced before making the crossbody bag.

Note that there are two “Front Bottom Panel” pieces.  When making this pattern, use the correct pattern piece depending on if you are using cork or cotton for the bottom half of the bag. 

I suggest cutting out the long pieces of fabric needed for the crossbody strap before cutting out the remaining pieces.  This will ensure you have enough fabric for your strap.  The straps are made from two pieces of either 1-1/2 or 3” wide by 25” long pieces. 

The pattern was designed for beginners and the instructions are very detailed with lots of photos making this bag easy to sew. 

Cork Fabric

The cork fabric is interesting to work with.  I have never sewn with cork before and didn’t know what to expect.  The cork has a fabric backing. 

I don’t recommend pinning the cork fabric.  It would be hard to pin because of the thickness of the cork.  Also, the pin holes may show after removing the pins.

To hold the cork in place, try using fabric clips or double-sided basting tape.

Crossbody Bag Strap

I made my strap from the cork fabric. The strap can also be made from cotton.

The cork bag strap is made by folding a piece of cork in half and then topstitching along both edges. After using this bag for a few weeks, I would prefer to have a thicker strap as it seems very light.

To make a thicker strap, instead of cutting two 1-1/2" x 25" pieces from the cork, cut two pieces 2-1/4" x 25". To make the strap, instead of folding it in half, fold it in thirds.  Fold one side in 3/4" with wrong sides together.  Then fold the other side over the first side by 3/4".  The strap needs to be 3/4" wide to fit into the buckle.

The strap hardware was included in the kit so there are swivel hooks, d-rings and a buckle.  The buckle makes the strap adjustable in length.

 I love the look of the hardware, buckles, snaps, swivel hooks and D-rings.  They look very nice on the bag.

Professional appearance Nylon Teeth Zipper

I love the professional appearance of the zipper and the pull.  This is a faux metal zipper with easy-to-cut nylon teeth.

I actually didn't realize the zipper is not metal until I was researching on the Sallie Tomato website for this article!

The zipper pocket is roomy and has finished seams inside. 

The Sallie Tomato website has patterns, kits and wonderful zippers and hardware.  Needlepointers.com is a Sallie Tomato affiliate so please support us by shopping through our links.

We hope you enjoyed learning about this Sallie Tomato Ginger Crossbody Bag Pattern and consider making the bag for yourself.

Some other bag sewing and machine embroidery projects are:

• Melford Messenger Bag - This is a sewn bag also featuring cork.
• Dog Walking Crossbody Bag - This is a in the hoop machine embroidered bag perfect for taking on dog walks.
• Machine Embroidered Purse with Sewing Pattern - This purse combines both a sewing pattern and machine embroidered panels.
• How does your Garden Grow Bag - This is a wonderful machine embroidered tote bag.