Fabric Inspiration for the Missive Bag

Once again we arrive at my favorite topic: fabric. 

The great thing about the Missive Bag is that it only takes about a quarter yard each for the lining and main fabric. The right size scrap will get you there! So we recommend taking a look at your stash first and seeing what you have leftover, maybe from the Pinyon Pants, Sylvan Jacket, or Elevenses Backpack. I used a piece of Ventana Twill leftover from my Pinyon Pants for my Missive Bag and it worked perfectly. 

However, you may have a specific vision in mind for your bag, and even if you are going stash diving, we have some guidelines for the types of fabric you want to look for whether buying new or not. 

Main Fabric

First things first, check that pile of old jeans and pants! Jeans-weight denim and cotton twill are perfect options for your Missive Bag.

My number one recommendation for anyone new to sewing bags (and who might not have old pants to cut into) is Big Sur Canvas, I used it for my Elevenses bag and my Sylvan Jacket so I have plenty of pieces floating around for Missive. The Ventana Twill I used for my yellow one is just a bit lighter than the Big Sur Canvas which was perfect for me since I knew I wanted to add embroidery. Both of these fabrics come in a lot of colors and are readily available. 

If you want your Missive Bag to have a really professional, ready made look, give dry oilskin or waxed canvas a try. These are more advanced fabrics, and I would only advise them if you don’t intend to do the hand topstitching or to add embroidery. You should not interface these fabrics as the glue will affect the coating. They are very strong and hold up well without any interfacing. Please use a jeans needle or heavy duty needle with these fabrics! 

Lining

The lining of a bag may seem unimportant but it is another opportunity to have a bit of fun with your fabric choice. We recommend quilting cotton for ease of sewing and wear. If you have other leftover cotton scraps like poplin, those would be a good choice. I would advise against linen, as the looser weave is more likely to get caught on keys or other things you might put in your bag. 

As garment sewists we don’t use quilting cotton all that often. But I love quilting cotton! I love a fun print, a tiny floral, a fairy tale scene, some little cats. And what is better than opening the perfect little envelope bag to a surprising fabric that makes you smile.  

Notions

Need a one-stop shop for notions? EWE Fibers has put together kits with everything you need for your Missive Bag.

I don’t know what it is about webbing, but I just love it! I prefer a cotton webbing, like this one from Noodlehead. Cotton webbing is really lovely to sew and Noodlehead has a great range of colors in the 1” width. Here are some of my favorites:

If you are looking for brighter colors Sullivan’s Trims has some lovely options too. 

The Missive bag requires two different widths of notions. You need little ½” D-rings and two 1” clips and a 1” slider. Sallie Tomato has all of these options available in a variety of finishes. I used rose gold for mine, they also carrie silver, gold, and antique bronze. 

One more very important notion for Missive is the magnet! We recommend and invisible magnet closure, like this version from Wawak or this one from Sallie Tomato. One word of caution: these magnets are strong and may stick to the plate of your machine. Use caution, and a zipper foot if you have one!

Each of these little choices, from fabric, to adding applique or embroidery, to webbing and hardware color contribute to making your Missive Bag feel like you. If you are having trouble deciding, remember that you can always make a second one.