Satchel Sew-along - Materials List

To help you prepare for the upcoming Foraging and Leaf Satchel sew-along, here's some information to help you decide which style to sew, and what materials you will need.

The patterns will be releasing on Wednesday, April 10 (New Zealand), and the sew-along will start the same day. Join us in the Twig + Tale Chat group on Facebook or follow us on Instagram to participate in the sew-along. We'll post extra tips, tricks, ideas for customising your satchel, and lots of beautiful inspiration!

Satchel styles and sizes

The Foraging Satchel and Leaf Satchel are designed as versatile, soft-structured shoulder bags for young children through to adults. They are offered in two sizes, Small and Large, and in Landscape and Portrait variations.

Two strap widths with either a knotted adjustment or hardware
Two strap lengths (child and adult, with instructions for fitting the strap for a tall/full adult)
Internal pocket to organise items, with an elastic security band or a darted security band to hide contents from view
Wear over the shoulder or cross-body

Finished satchel sizes

Here are the finished satchel sizes (for both Foraging and Leaf Satchels) to help you decide which size to make:

*The Small size can comfortably fit most tablets and A5 notebooks. The Large size can easily contain an A4 sketchbook, B5 composition book and small laptops.

Suggested fabrics

Midweight, non-stretch woven fabric. Options include linen, cotton, cork, hemp, chambray, lightweight canvas, lightweight denim, lightweight leather, lightweight twill, velveteen, wool suiting, corduroy, wool, brushed cotton.

Other supplies and notions

Spool of coordinating thread
Elastic (elasticated security band option only) - 8-14" (20-35cm) of 3/8" (1cm) to 7/8" (2cm) knitted elastic, or similar midweight elastic
Batting/Wadding (Leaf Satchel only)
Hardware (optional). Either x2 three bar sliders, or x1 two bar and x1 three bar sliders. A D-ring can also be used in place of the x1 two bar slider. If using the Wide Strap & Loop, use 2" (5cm) hardware. If using the narrower Strap & Loop, use 1.5" (38mm) hardware.
Interfacing (optional) to reinforce areas that experience high amounts of wear and tear. Interfacing may also be added for a more structured satchel. If so, using your choice of strap width, Front, Flap + Back, and Side pieces, cut and apply a medium weight interfacing to the corresponding exterior pieces before sewing. A fusible woven or knit interfacing is the most durable option.