Belt Bag Sewing Pattern & Free Tutorial 

Updated August 2025

Whether you call it a fanny pack, bum bag, hip bag, sling bag or belt bag, one thing’s for sure. The functionality of a hands-free bag has withstood the test of time. We love that fanny packs are making a stylish comeback. Berlin-based artist and Spoonflower designer Anda Corrie loved the trend so much, she designed a free belt bag sewing pattern for the Spoonflower community! Test it out with her coloring book pattern and fabric markers or give it a try with your favorite from our Design Library. 

In September 2024, author of this article, Anda Corrie, passed away. Anda Corrie was a source of inspiration and creativity for Spoonflower readers through the unique projects she shared on this blog. She will be deeply missed. 

Anda: I am proud — or maybe embarrassed — to admit that fanny packs bum bags have been a part of my wardrobe since the early ’90s. Freebie fanny packs were a marketing craze in late ’80s America, beloved by corporate event planners everywhere. 

When I was first challenged to make a DIY tutorial inspired by the travel theme, I was in the middle of cramming art supplies into an old hip pouch in preparation for a beach vacation. The best solution is usually the one right in front of you, right? This pattern is inspired by my trusty lil’ bum bag and design a black-and-white print that could work as a coloring page for fabric markers. 

I wanted something easy and quick to sew because I like my projects easy and quick. I even wrote an entire book of afternoon sewing projects — aka the Spoonflower Quick-Sew Project Book — lest anyone doubt my devotion to finishing a DIY in the span of two podcasts. However, I would not describe myself as an expert seamstress and my pattern drawing skills are minimal. Constructing this bag required way more trial-and-error than I thought it should, considering it is literally two crescents and a semi-circle. But the result is a cute, straightforward bum bag with a single zipper and clip buckle — you can buy the notions in amazing colors online. 

Your main fabric should be something a bit durable. If you choose a design you’re going to color, use a natural fiber for the nicest results (like Spoonflower’s Linen Cotton Canvas). You could also try out Lightweight Cotton Twill or Cypress Cotton Canvas. Lining can be a lightweight woven fabric like Spoonflower’s Petal Signature Cotton®. Remember to wash all the fabric first to avoid mismatched shrinkage later. 

Or, you know, you can just plan to never wash your bag. The edding textile pens I used to color in my fabric are water fast up to 140ºF, so your bag can still be saved if a sunscreen bottle explodes inside it… 

Waist Bag Tutorial 

Step 1. Cut out your pattern pieces

Print and cut out the free belt bag sewing pattern. Pin the three body pattern pieces to your fabric and cut out one of each in both your main and lining fabric. Mark or notch the center of all pieces. Fold your main fabric in half and cut out four of the side pieces. 

Step 2. Cover the ends of the zipper

Cut a 1.5″ length of bias binding, unfold it and with right sides together, line up one raw edge with the back of one zipper end. Straight stitch along fold. Trim the zipper end if needed and re-fold the binding around it. Top stitch the opposite side. Repeat with the other zipper end. 

Step 3. Attach the zipper

Place the two top fabric pieces wrong sides together. Center the zipper right side against the main fabric piece and pin. Using your zipper foot, straight stitch along this edge. 

Cut a 14” length of binding, unfold it and line up the one edge right side against where you’ve just sewn, starting from corner of fabric. Straight stitch with a ⅛” seam. Wrap the binding around this seam and top stitch the opposite side. Trim excess binding at ends. 

Step 4. Attach the front fabric pieces

Place the two front fabric pieces wrong sides together and repeat the above steps with the opposite side of the zipper. Use a heavy-duty needle that will easily sew through all these layers of fabric to avoid your thread bunching underneath the needle plate (bird nesting). My machine was very unhappy and ate all my seams until I switched to a leather needle. When you’ve finished installing the zipper, machine or hand sew the excess fabric in each corner together as in the photo above — this will make it easier to line up with the back piece later. 

Step 5. Attach the webbing to the end pieces

Cut a 4.5” piece of the webbing strap and thread it through the female end of the clip buckle. Line up the ends between two of the side pieces (right sides together) and stitch together with a ⅓” seam. Stitch the two adjacent sides with a ⅓” seam, clip corners and turn. Press these pieces with your iron on low or finger press. 

Line up one raw end of the rest of the webbing between the second two side pieces (right sides together) and repeat as above. 

Step 6. Attach the webbing and end pieces to the front pieces

Place the main and lining back pieces wrong sides together. Pin the open seams of side pieces to main back piece as shown, about ¾” from corners. Baste in place. 

Step 7. Stitch the bum bag pieces together

Roll up the straps and pin them to the middle of the back piece to get them out of the way. Place the front piece on top of this, main fabrics together. Open the zipper a little to make it easier to turn later. 

Stitch a ⅓” seam around perimeter and then trim the seam to ⅛”.

Step 8. Finish the inside edges

Unfold the rest of your binding and pin one edge against the above seam (right sides together), all the way around the perimeter cutting away any excess at the end. Stitch it on ⅛” away from said seam, then refold the binding up and around to the other side of the seam, like you did to the zipper. 

Step 9. Turn the bum bag right side out

Turn bum bag right-side out and thread the strap through the male end of the clip. Try the bag on and cut the webbing shorter to reduce the excess. Fold the raw end of the strap over 1″ and top stitch to keep from fraying. Belt bag sewing pattern: all done! 

Coloring your fabric?  

These pens are soooo fun. The colors are super vibrant and opaque. I only needed to go over an area once to get a completely solid field of color. Their opaque quality makes them not as suitable for washes and blending, although I was able to get a gradient by using lighter colors on top of the darker colors and coloring with less pressure at the areas where the colors needed to blend. Test each pen first on a scrap of your main fabric before coloring, as sometimes the cap color differs slightly from the ink. Iron the bag without steam when you’ve finished coloring to set. 

Now you have a bag that’s perfect for carrying your pens and a small notebook for sketching on holiday. Or for holding your essentials while you stroll around a new city. 

Don’t forget to share your fanny pack creation with Spoonflower’s community by tagging #Spoonflower on your social channels. We live to see how our community takes their creativity to the next level! 

If you’ve finished this belt bag sewing pattern and are looking for more free sewing patterns, make your own mini backpack, reversible bucket hat and more here! 

Love this DIY? Get started with high-quality fabrics from Spoonflower. 

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