Pack your things and get ready for surf and sand! Today on HappiestCamper, we show you How To Make A Large Beach Bag! I cannot wait for my beach vacation this year, but I am always a little stressed about keeping up with everything while trying to have a good time. This bag is perfect for bringing all your essentials with you so you can relax and enjoy the summer. Keep all your towels, books, your coverup, and sunscreen, not to mention snacks out of the sand with this cute bag. This thing is big, so you’ll have plenty of room. The best part about this fun sewing project is that you can make this bag for much less than you could buy in-store. This sewing project is great for beginners and experienced sewists alike. We show you step-by-step how to make your own beach bag in about two hours or less depending on your skill level. I used home decor fabric for this, but you could use almost any fabric as long as it is sturdy and will stand up to the abuse of sand and sun. And honestly, I’ll be using this bag even after I come back from the beach. It will be great for the pool, camping and even taking to the kids’ sports games. Plus you can add in some of our great Summer Sewing Projects in your beach bag that you sew.

So, pick out some cute fabric and gather your supplies from the list below. You’ll want to make sure to get the double-sided fusible interfacing as this will give the bottom of your beach bag the structure it needs. Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need:

- 2 yards of thick fabric (thicker, stiff fabrics work best for this, such as outdoor fabric. I used home décor fabric, which isn’t as stiff, but I liked the print and wanted it to fold easily for storage)
- Thread
- Ribbon (I used ¾” to match the width of my swivel clip)
- Bias tape
- Scissors
- Optional: Rotary cutter and mat
- Pins or clips
- Iron/ironing board
- Sewing machine
How To Make A Large Beach Bag

The first step in this how to make a large beach bag sewing project is to wash, dry, and iron fabric (do NOT wash or iron Peltex yet!). This acts as a preshrink so your stitches don’t get messed up when you wash this fun beach bag and it helps make the fabric super soft. Once you have done that, we need to cut out our fabric.

You’ll need the following pieces cut out:
- A. 21” x 50” rectangle (this will be the main piece of fabric for the bag)
- B. 13” x 19.5” rectangle (cut 2 of these)
- C. 6” x 30” rectangle (cut 2 of these)
- D. D1 – 6.5” x 13” D2 – 11.5” x 13”
- E. 6” strip of ribbon with both ends heat sealed
- F. False bottom – 26” x 22” rectangle
- Peltex – 12” x 20” rectangle (cut 2 of these)

As you are cutting your pieces, it is extremely helpful to label them with sticky notes. Since the fabric is all the same, it can be easy to get them confused. Also, we will press a few pieces before heading to the sewing machine so we don’t have to go back and forth!

With your fabric cut out, the next step in this how to make a large beach bag tutorial is to make the false bottom. Lay out your false bottom piece with the right side face down on your ironing board (or another iron-safe surface). Lay your Peltex pieces side by side on the false bottom fabric so that there’s an inch of fabric bordering the Peltex on all sides.

One side at a time, fold the excess fabric over the edge of the Peltex and press (follow the directions from your packaging for ironing times!). As you go around, it can be helpful to lay something flat in the middle of your Peltex pieces to hold them down (I used a clipboard).

Trim the corners at a 45 degree angle.

Now fold one Peltex piece over on top of the other piece. Press really well all the way across the rectangle to ensure the Peltex pieces fuse together. Set this piece aside once they are fused together.

Now on this large beach bag sewing tutorial, let’s create the straps. Take one C piece and lay it face down on your ironing board. Fold it in half length-wise and press well to create a crease.

Open the fabric.

Fold in one side at a time so the raw edge meets up with the crease you made. Press the sides well to create creases there.

On the ends, fold in the fabric about ¼” and press. Then trim the corners at a 45” angle.

Fold the fabric back in half where the original crease was and press well, especially at the ends. If you want, you can pin or clip the edges together to hold (I didn’t, but it is helpful for beginner sewers). Set the strap pieces aside.

Next on this DIY large beach bag sewing project, let’s hem the top edge of the pocket pieces. Grab piece D1 and lay it face down on your ironing board. Along one 13” edge, fold in the raw edge ½” and press well.

Now fold the fabric on itself again ½” and press. This will encase the raw edge. Repeat this process for piece D2 and set both pieces aside.

Now we head to the sewing machine! You should have 5 different pieces ready for sewing (false bottom, C strap pieces and D pocket pieces).

First, topstitch the D pieces with just under ½” seam allowance (be sure you’re catching the folded side underneath in your seam!).

Now stitch one strap piece (C) very close to the edge (1/8” seam allowance) all the way around the rectangle. Repeat for the other C piece.

Then stitch your false bottom piece. You’ll want to use ¼” seam allowance and go a little slower than usual. You are sewing through two layers of fabric and two layers of Peltex – it’s pretty thick!

Next on this how to make a large beach bag tutorial, we will sew the pockets to the side panels. Lay out one piece B face down. Lay piece D1 on top of piece B with the right side facing up. Pin or clip around piece D1 to hold.

Repeat the last step for piece D2 on top of the other piece B.

Stitch around in a “U” shape to hold down the D pieces on top of the B pieces. On piece D1, you may also want to stitch a straight seam down the middle of this pocket piece. It will create two smaller pockets (see photo).

Now on this beach bag sewing tutorial, it is time to begin assembling the bag! Lay out piece A with the right side facing up (if you have a large cutting mat, the measurement markings are useful for this step!). Find the center of each 50” edge and mark.

Find the center of each B piece and mark those as well (the photo does not show the middle measurement, I used a separate ruler).

Lay one piece B on top of piece A so that the markings you made line up exactly. Pin or clip the fabric pieces together to hold.

Repeat for the other piece B opposite from the first one and pin or clip to hold. You may want to fold the excess fabric in the middle to keep it out of the way while you’re sewing (see photo).

Next on this how to make a large beach bag, we sew! Starting about ¼” from the raw edge of one piece B, sew piece B down onto piece A with a ½” seam allowance, stopping just ¼” from the end. Be sure to backstitch! Repeat for the opposite piece B.

Very carefully clip the fabric of piece A at the corner of piece B where you stopped stitching. Repeat this for all 4 corners. This will make turning the fabric easier. See photos!

Now on this large beach bag sewing tutorial, we will stitch up the sides of the bag. Carefully turn the fabric of piece A so it lines up with the raw edge of piece B on the long side (19.5” edge) and clip or pin to hold. Repeat for the other 3 edges.

Stitch up the sides of the bag with ½” seam allowance. You can reinforce the corners if you’d like (see photo) by stitching around the corner. Now your bag should be resembling a bag shape! The only unsewn edges should be at the top of the bag. Set the bag aside for now.

I wanted to cover the inside raw seams with bias tape so there was no fraying inside my bag. If you don’t want to do this, you can serge the edges or use a zig-zag stitch to overlock the raw edges. You can buy bias tape if you wish, but I chose to make my own out of some fabric I already had.

Now on this large beach bag sew, we need to attach the bias tape to the bag. Since we will be folding the top edge of the bag down, there won’t need to be any bias tape at the top of the seams. Starting about 2.5” down from the top of the bag on one seam, begin pinning your bias tape. Unfold the bias tape on one side and line the raw edge up with the raw edge of the fabric. Pin to hold every 3” or so.

You won’t stitch all the way down to the corner, so add a pin at ¼” from the end.

Stitch along the crease of the fabric all the way down to your ending pin. Stop here and cut off your threads. See photo!

Here on this how to make a large beach bag, we will do a mitered corner. Gather the bias tape at a 45-degree angle at the corner. Turn the gathered corner so that the fold is flush with the edge you just sewed. Pin or clip to hold the fold.

Now you can pin the bias tape to the raw edge along the long 20” bottom edge of the bag.

Begin sewing again about ¼” from the top edge. Continue sewing along the fold until you reach ¼” from the end. Repeat the process for the mitered corner for this corner as well.

Then pin the tape up the third raw edge and stitch along the crease. Stop sewing about 2.5” from the end. Be sure to backstitch! Trim your excess bias tape. You won’t see the raw edge of the bias tape, so don’t worry about tucking it under.

Fold the bias tape over the raw edge of the fabric. Pin or clip along the edge to hold in place. The front edge of the corners will make a nice fold. You may need to shimmy the backside around a bit to get the corner to fold the same. Pin to hold.

Now on this sewing project to make a big beach bag you will stitch along the edge of where the bias tape meets the fabric. Be sure you are sewing far enough to catch the underside of your bias tape! No need to stop sewing and cut thread at the corners, just turn your fabric 90 degrees to continue sewing. Repeat this whole process for both lines of raw edges in the bag.

Now we need to create the top hem of the bag. Fold down the raw edge of the fabric ½” and press. Do this all the way around the top opening of the bag.

Then fold your top edge down another 2” and press well. This will create a deep hem for the top. It will also enclose the raw edges of bias tape.

If you wish to add a key hook, follow this step. Slide the swivel hook onto the 6” strip of ribbon. Fold the ribbon in half and slide it under the deep hem about 4” from the edge on one of the 20” long sides of the bag. Pin to hold.

Now stitch along the folded edge of the top hem with ¼” seam allowance. Almost done!

Last, we need to add the straps. On one of the 20” sides of the bag, lay the ends of one strap at 6” and 14” (essentially the straps are 6” from each edge). Pin or clip to hold.

For the last sewing step in this how to make a large beach bag sewing tutorial, is to sew the straps onto the bag. I chose to sew a square with an “x” inside for extra strength since I will be carrying a lot in my bag! Repeat for the other strap.

And that’s it! Now you can add your false bottom to the inside of the bag, tucking the false bottom under the bias tape to hold it in place. Your large beach bag is done! Fill your bag with towels and essentials, and head to the beach! This is a great project for summer! You can knock this project out in an hour and a half to two hours. This bag is huge and you can make this much cheaper than you could buy in-store. If you like this bag check out this beach Roll-up Bag that you are sure to love.

If you liked learning how to make a large beach bag, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, make certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!
How To Make A Large Beach Bag

Make the perfect beach bag to take with you this summer! This simple beach bag is durable and functional and holds all your stuff. What's not to love!
Materials
- 2 yards each of two coordinating fabrics (thicker, stiff fabrics work best for this, such as outdoor fabric. I used home décor fabric, which isn’t as stiff, but I liked the print and wanted it to fold easily for storage)
- Peltex double-sided fusible interfacing (1/2 yard)
- Thread
- Ribbon (I used ¾” to match the width of my swivel clip)
- Swivel clip
- Bias tape
Tools
- Scissors
- Optional: Rotary cutter and mat
- Pins
- or clips
- Iron/ironing board
- Sewing machine
Instructions
- Wash, dry, and iron fabric (do NOT wash or iron Peltex yet!).
- Measure and cut fabric.
- Layout your false bottom piece with the right side face down on your ironing board. Lay your Peltex pieces side by side on the false bottom fabric so that there’s an inch of fabric bordering the Peltex on all sides.
- Fold the excess fabric over the edge of the Peltex and press.
- Trim the corners at a 45-degree angle.
- Now fold one Peltex piece over on top of the other piece. Press really well all the way across the rectangle to ensure the Peltex pieces fuse together. Set this piece aside once they are fused together.
- Now, let’s create the straps. Take one C piece and lay it face down on your ironing board. Fold it in half length-wise and press well to create a crease.
- Open the fabric.
- Fold in one side at a time so the raw edge meets up with the crease you made. Press the sides well to create creases there.
- On the ends, fold in the fabric about ¼” and press. Then trim the corners at a 45” angle.
- Fold the fabric back in half where the original crease was and press well, especially at the ends. Set the strap pieces aside.
- Next, let’s hem the top edge of the pocket pieces. Grab piece D1 and lay it face down on your ironing board. Along one 13” edge, fold in the raw edge ½” and press well.
- 13. Now fold the fabric on itself again ½” and press. This will encase the raw edge. Repeat this process for piece D2 and set both pieces aside.
- Now we head to the sewing machine! You should have 5 different pieces ready for sewing (false bottom, C strap pieces and D pocket pieces).
- First, top stitch the D pieces with just under ½” seam allowance (be sure you’re catching the folded side underneath in your seam!).
- Now stitch one strap piece (C) very close to the edge (1/8” seam allowance) all the way around the rectangle. Repeat for the other C piece.
- Then stitch your false bottom piece. You’ll want to use ¼” seam allowance and go a little slower than usual. You are sewing through two layers of fabric and two layers of Peltex – it’s pretty thick!
- Next we will sew the pockets to the side panels. Lay out one piece B face down. Lay piece D1 on top of piece B with the right side facing up. Pin or clip around piece D1 to hold.
- Repeat the last step for piece D2 on top of the other piece B.
- Stitch around in a “U” shape to hold down the D pieces on top of the B pieces. On piece D1, you may also want to stitch a straight seam down the middle of this pocket piece. It will create two smaller pockets (see photo).
- Layout piece A with the right side facing up (if you have a large cutting mat, the measurement markings are useful for this step!). Find the center of each 50” edge and mark.
- Find the center of each B piece and mark those as well (the photo does not show the middle measurement, I used a separate ruler).
- Lay one piece B on top of piece A so that the markings you made line up exactly. Pin or clip the fabric pieces together to hold.
- Repeat for the other piece B opposite from the first one and pin or clip to hold. You may want to fold the excess fabric in the middle to keep it out of the way while you’re sewing (see photo).
- Starting about ¼” from the raw edge of one piece B, sew piece B down onto piece A with a ½” seam allowance, stopping just ¼” from the end. Be sure to backstitch! Repeat for the opposite piece B.
- Very carefully clip the fabric of piece A at the corner of piece B where you stopped stitching. Repeat this for all 4 corners. This will make turning the fabric easier. See photos!
- Now we will stitch up the sides of the bag. Carefully turn the fabric of piece A so it lines up with the raw edge of piece B on the long side (19.5” edge) and clip or pin to hold. Repeat for the other 3 edges.
- Stitch up the sides of the bag with ½” seam allowance. You can reinforce the corners if you’d like (see photo) by stitching around the corner.
- Now your bag should be resembling a bag shape! The only unsewn edges should be at the top of the bag. Set the bag aside for now.
- I wanted to cover the inside raw seams with bias tape so there was no fraying inside my bag. If you don’t want to do this, you can serge the edges or use a zig-zag stitch to overlock the raw edges. You can buy bias tape if you wish, but I chose to make my own out of some fabric I already had.
- Now we need to attach the bias tape onto the bag. Starting about 2.5” down from the top of the bag on one seam, begin pinning your bias tape. Unfold the bias tape on one side and line the raw edge up with the raw edge of fabric. Pin to hold every 3” or so.
31. You won’t stitch all the way down to the corner, so add a pin at ¼” from the end.
32. Stitch along the crease of the fabric all the way down to your ending pin. Stop here and cut off your threads. See photo!
33. Here we will do a mitered corner. Gather the bias tape at a 45-degree angle at the corner.
34. Turn the gathered corner so that the fold is flush with the edge you just sewed. Pin or clip to hold the fold.
35. Now you can pin the bias tape to the raw edge along the long 20” bottom edge of the bag.
36. Begin sewing again about ¼” from the top edge. Continue sewing along the fold until you reach ¼” from the end. Repeat the process for the mitered corner for this corner as well.
37. Then pin the tape up the third raw edge and stitch along the crease. Stop sewing about 2.5” from the end. Be sure to backstitch!
Trim your excess bias tape.
38. Fold the bias tape over the raw edge of the fabric. Pin or clip along the edge to hold in place.
39. The front edge of the corners will make a nice fold. You may need to shimmy the back side around a bit to get the corner to fold the same. Pin to hold.
40. Now stitch along the edge of where the bias tape meets the fabric. Be sure you are sewing far enough to catch the underside of your bias tape! Repeat this whole process for both lines of raw edges in the bag.
41. Now we need to create the top hem of the bag. Fold down the raw edge of the fabric ½” and press. Do this all the way around the top opening of the bag.
42. Then fold your top edge down another 2” and press well. This will create a deep hem for the top. It will also enclose the raw edges of bias tape.
43. If you wish to add a key hook, follow this step. Slide the swivel hook onto the 6” strip of ribbon. Fold the ribbon in half and slide it under the deep hem about 4” from the edge on one of the 20” long sides of the bag. Pin to hold.
44. Now stitch along the folded edge of the top hem with ¼” seam allowance. Almost done!
45. Last, we need to add the straps. On one of the 20” sides of the bag, lay the ends of one strap at 6” and 14” .Pin or clip to hold.
46. Sew the straps onto the bag.
47. Now you can add your false bottom to the inside of the bag, tucking the false bottom under the bias tape to hold it in place.
Fill your bag with towels and essentials, and head to the beach!