How to sew a puffer bag: quilted mini and tote, step by step

To sew a puffer bag, layer the outer fabric over two layers of high-loft batting, quilt straight channels across it, then cut the quilted panel to the bag shape. Add puffy straps, sew the outer with boxed corners for a flat base, sew a lining with a pocket and a magnetic snap, and join the two at the top. The Sewzy Puffer Bag comes in Mini (9 x 7½ inches, 4 inch base) and Tote (13 x 11 inches, 5 inch base), and takes about 3 hours at beginner level.

TL;DR

• Sizes: Mini 9 x 7½ in for a phone, wallet and keys. Tote 13 x 11 in, which takes a 13 inch laptop.
• The trick: quilt an oversize panel first, then cut the bag shape from it. Quilting makes the panel shrink.
• Fabric: nylon, ripstop, waxed cotton, velvet, corduroy or quilting cotton outside, cotton lining.
• Batting: ½ inch high-loft polyester, two layers on every panel.
• Machine setup: a walking foot, a 90/14 needle and a 3.5 mm stitch.

Puffer bag sizes and fabric

The pattern prints both sizes nested together, so print once and cut the size you want. The ⅜ inch seam allowance is included.

What fabric is best for a puffer bag?

Nylon and ripstop give the classic shiny puffer look, like a padded jacket, and shrug off rain. Velvet and corduroy look soft and cozy for winter. Waxed cotton is sturdy, and quilting cotton is the easiest to sew and comes in the most prints. Line it with cotton. For a bag you can machine wash, make it in cotton with cotton batting, two layers, and skip the nylon.

What you need

• Outer fabric, lining and high-loft batting, as in the table.
• A ¾ inch magnetic snap and a scrap of interfacing behind each half.
• A walking foot, a 90/14 needle and thread.
• Optional: 1 inch D-rings and swivel clips for a detachable strap.

How to sew a puffer bag, step by step

These are the six steps of the Puffer Bag pattern in short. If you have not printed a PDF pattern before, read how to print PDF sewing patterns first.

1. Cut. Cut 2 lining pieces on the pattern. For the outer, cut 2 oversize panels and 4 batting rectangles, 2 inches bigger than the pattern all round. Do not cut the outer to shape yet. Cut the strap strips, the pocket and the strap batting.
2. Quilt the channels. Lay each outer panel right side up over 2 layers of batting and pin well. Mark horizontal lines every 2¼ inches (Mini) or 3 inches (Tote) and stitch them with a walking foot and a 3.5 mm stitch, working from the center line outward. The panel puffs up and shrinks, which is exactly what you want.
3. Trim to shape. Lay the pattern on each quilted panel, line the channels up with the dashed lines and cut on the solid line. Cut out the corner squares. If the batting is very thick, trim it out of the seam allowances.
4. Make the straps. Lay the batting strip down the center of the strap strip, wrong side up, fold the long edges in to meet over it, then fold the strap in half and topstitch both long edges. It makes a puffy tube with no turning. Baste the strap ends to the top of the outer pieces at the strap marks, right sides together, with the loop hanging down.
5. Sew the body and base. Sew the outer pieces right sides together at the sides and bottom with a walking foot. Pinch each cut-out corner flat and stitch across it for the flat base. Make the pocket and topstitch it to one lining piece 3 inches below the top, and fit the magnetic snap halves at the marks through a scrap of interfacing. Sew the lining the same way, leaving a 5 inch gap in the bottom.
6. Join and finish. Slip the outer bag inside the lining, right sides together, with the straps tucked down between them. Match the side seams and stitch around the top. Turn the bag through the lining gap, close the gap, push the lining in and topstitch the top edge ¼ inch from the fold. Fluff up the channels.

Tips for even, puffy channels

• Quilt a test square first. Your batting decides how much the panel shrinks, so the test tells you what to expect.
• Use a longer stitch, 3.5 to 4 mm, through the batting so the channels do not pucker.
• Sew every line from the center outward, and in the same direction, so the layers do not shift.
• Try vertical or diagonal channels for a different look. Mark them on the oversize panel the same way.
• Thick layers: if the machine struggles at the side seams, trim the batting out of the seam allowance and go slowly.

Puffer bag vs other totes

If you want a quicker bag, the free Boxed Tote Bag takes about 90 minutes, and the Ruched Tote about 150. Our lined tote bag guide compares them side by side, and how to sew a tote bag with boxed corners explains the flat base used here. For another quilted, puffy make, try the quilted bow.

A handmade gift

A Mini puffer bag in velvet or a shiny nylon makes a lovely Christmas gift, and the Tote is a practical laptop bag. The pattern, with printable pieces for both sizes and a photo for each step, is a Premium pattern in the Sewzy app. More gift ideas are in handmade Christmas gifts to sew.

Care

Spot clean nylon versions. Cotton versions can be machine washed cold, then reshaped and air dried.