How to Sew the Side Hustle Crossbody Bag: A Hands-Free Sling Pattern for Everyday Adventures
If you are tired of bulky purses or overstuffed pockets, the Side Hustle pattern offers a smarter way to carry just what you need. Side Hustle is a pattern for a versatile, comfortable crossbody sling bag designed for an on-the-go lifestyle. It fits close to your body, keeps essentials secure and easy to reach, and leaves your hands free — whether you are hiking, shopping, or traveling.
What the Side Hustle Is
Side Hustle is a sewing pattern, not a finished bag, so you make the bag yourself in fabrics you love. The finished bag has three zippered compartments to keep a wallet, phone, passport, and other personal items organized and secure, rather than loose in one big pocket. Its sleek profile is slim enough that you can even wear it under a jacket.
The pattern gives you choices from the start. Make it in two sizes — small or standard — customize it with two strap styles, and wear it three ways: crossbody, on your back, or around your waist. Finished sizes are Small: 7" to 12"H x 2" to 7-1/4"W and Standard: 7" to 12"H x 2" to 8-1/2"W. An Add-on Video is also available, specially designed to support specific parts of the pattern and help you learn the best techniques. It does not replace the pattern — it enhances your sewing experience. Related paper patterns include a coupon for the value of the Add-on Video, a $5.00 value, so you can get the video for free on the ByAnnie.com website.
Why Quilters and Sewists Use It
Quilters and sewists love a pattern that turns fabric skills into something carried every day. Side Hustle answers a real problem: you need essentials with you, but you do not want a large purse swinging from your shoulder or pockets weighed down. Because the bag sits close to the body with zippered compartments, it feels secure on a trail, in a crowded shop, or in an airport. It also makes a great gift — handmade, personal, and sized for daily use.
How to Use It: Step by Step
- Choose your size and strap. Decide between small and standard based on what you plan to carry, and pick one of the two strap styles.
- Prepare your fabrics. Choose fabrics that suit how you will use the bag and prepare them exactly as the pattern directs.
- Construct the compartments. Sew the bag and its three zippered compartments in the order given, so each pocket ends up organized and secure.
- Add the strap. Attach the strap following the pattern, then try the bag crossbody, on your back, and around your waist to find your preferred fit.
- Use the video for tricky steps. If a step feels unfamiliar, watch the Add-on Video segment for that technique before you sew it.
- Load and go. Place wallet, phone, passport, and essentials in separate compartments, zip closed, and wear close for easy access.
Practical Tips
Read the whole pattern before you cut, especially the size and strap choices. Give each compartment a job — phone in one, wallet in another, travel documents in the third — so you can reach what you need without digging. When traveling, wearing the bag under a jacket adds security while keeping essentials accessible.
Care and Storage
Store the paper pattern flat in an envelope or sleeve so pieces and instructions stay together for your next make — many sewists make this bag more than once. Keep the finished bag zipped and stored flat or hanging by its strap so it holds its sleek shape, and care for it according to the fabrics you chose.
Project Ideas
Make a travel version to hold a passport, phone, and wallet securely on your next trip. Sew the small size for hikes and market days when you want only the essentials, hands free. Make the standard size as an everyday crossbody for shopping, then sew coordinating bags as gifts in each recipient's favorite fabrics.
Shop the Side Hustle at Linda's Electric Quilters.
