I made this bag last summer for a trip to Portugal. I wanted something cute to carry around while I was there, and at the time the crescent bags from Baggu were everywhere. Honestly, they still are. I liked the shape, and I wanted something similar, a bag that could hold everything I needed for the day and still look put together.

That's when I found the Billy Bag pattern online, by Charlotte Rose Patterns. It comes in a small and a large size, and I went back and forth for a while before deciding. I ended up going large so I could actually fit everything I needed.

Billy Bag size large pattern piece pinned to red and white striped fabric before cutting

What I Used

  • Billy Bag pattern by Charlotte Rose Patterns, size large, purchased on Etsy
  • Red and white candy cane stripe cotton (outer), from my grandma's fabric stash
  • Fish print fabric (lining), a scrap from Remainders Creative Reuse in Pasadena
  • White plastic sport zipper, from Amazon
  • White plastic strap slider, from Amazon

Picking the Fabric

For the outside I used a red and white candy cane stripe fabric that had been sitting in my grandma's stash for a while. Stripes have been having a moment lately anyway, and a red and white striped bag felt like exactly the thing to bring for a summer in Europe.

For the lining I used a fish print scrap I'd picked up a while back at Remainders Creative Reuse in Pasadena. I thought it would pair well with the stripes, and together they gave me the European summer feeling I was going for.

Cut pieces of the red and white striped outer fabric and the fish print lining fabric for the Billy Bag

Construction

The pattern itself was really straightforward to put together. I liked that the lining has pockets built in, and that the whole bag closes with a zipper.

I went back and forth on what kind of zipper to use, metal or something else, and ended up going with a white plastic sport zipper. It matched the fabric well, and since I knew this bag was for travel, I wanted something I could open and close a lot without worrying about it. I also needed a slider for the strap and found a white plastic one on Amazon that matched the zipper.

One mistake I made was cutting the straps with the stripes running the wrong direction. I didn't catch it until I'd already sewn them on, so I had to redo both straps with the stripes going the right way.

The Billy Bag partway through construction, striped exterior and fish print lining pinned together Cut Billy Bag pieces pinned together during construction

The Hardest Part

The part that took the most time was the bias tape on the inside of the bag. It runs along a long curve, so getting it to lay flat and sew evenly took some patience. Everything else came together pretty easily.

The finished Billy Bag open, showing the fish print lining and zipper Sewing the bias tape along the curved edge of the Billy Bag

I still really like this bag and want to make it again, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. The pattern also has an option to make a quilted version, which I think would be really cute to try next.

And here it is out in Porto, doing exactly what I made it for.

Emily wearing the finished red and white striped Billy Bag on a street in Porto, Portugal

If you make the Billy Bag, tag me on Instagram @DesignsbyERB. I want to see it.