JMC

Large Canvas Carrying Bag

My brother owns a large canvas bag for carrying all sorts of things. Board games, books, drink making supplies, food for a potluck. It stands up on it’s own, has multiple pockets, and it all around great. I wanted one of my own, so I made one.

I think it was pretty successful. The outer and bottom reinforcement panels are undyed #10 duck canvas. This is a 15oz double weave canvas that is very sturdy. The liner is a #12 duck canvas, which is 11.5oz double weave canvas. The pockets and handles are a white 10oz bull denim¹.

The final dimensions ended up being 17in long, 8in wide, and 15in tall. It should hold 6 gallons of milk! The large inside pocket can hold a 15in laptop. The water bottle sleeve accommodates a nalgene or large mouth mason jar. The other two pockets are a good size for keys, my wife’s small clutch, and other various items.

I am worried about the bottom panel becoming very stained from use and since it is cotton it is not water proof. When I make this again I will probably make the bottom panel in a dark color and either use cordura² fabric.

The inside is finished with serged³ seams which wasn’t necessary with the liner. However, it did prevent any edges from fraying while I was constructing the bag. Flat felled seams here might be tough for my sewing machine⁴ to get through, especially at the top of the bag. There would be 16 layers of heavy weight canvas where the liner meets the outer. I was able to use one 90/14 sharp/mircotex needle for the whole project. Everything is stitched together with all purpose thread. Natural color on the canvas, and white for all the bull denim pockets and handles.

I am excited to use this bag and to make more.

1. Bull denim is a twill weave with 3 under 1 over compared to typical denim that is 2 under 1 over. ↩︎
2. Cordura is a tightly woven nylon that is water resistant and tear resistant. ↩︎
3. Baby Lock Vibrant. ↩︎
4. Juki HZL-F600. ↩︎