Totoro Crossbody Bag (pattern Included)

This Totoro handbag is completely my creation and the pattern is not for commercial use. Please, sew this crossbody bag for yourself, your kids and loved ones 😉

The finished Totoro handbag is about 28 x 19 x 4 cm/11 x 7.5 x 1.6 in and you can use a variety of materials. Totoro is a gentle fluffy giant so the most authentic will be fluffy fabrics with long or curly hair. I used this faux fur non-elastic fabric and white and black felt for the smaller pieces, it contrasts nicely with the long hair.

Before we start, let me tell you that I have more Handbag Tutorials on my blog.

1. pattern: A4, US Letter – see more below
2. approx. 0,5 m/yd of main fabric in grey color
3. approx. 0,5 m/yd of lining – non-elastic, for example, cotton canvas.
4. max. 0,5 m/yd fusible interfacing
5. cca 30 x 30 cm/12 x 12 in of white felt
6. piece of black felt
7. 2 D/rings of 2 cm/0.8 in
8. 1 slider of 2 cm/0.8 in
9. 150 cm/60 in of shoulder strap, width 0.8 in
10. 30 cm/11.5 – 12 in zipper
11. sewing machine, thread, needles
12. pins
13. optional: Stylefix or other double-sided tape

Adjusting the strap to US size: if you wish to use a different width of the shoulder strap, no problem! You’ll also have to adjust the size of the D-rings, slider and the D-ring loop. Take the width of the strap, the D-rings and slider should have the same inner width and cut the D-ring loop at double width of the strap (length stays the same and don’t add seam allowance).

Example: the strap is 1 in wide. Get 1 inch wide D-rings and a 1 inch wide slider. Cut the D-ring loops 2 inches wide.

Pattern

The pattern is hand drawn and the format I work with is the A4. I have also transferred this to the US Letter format but I have not used it myself. The pattern has complete description in English and you’ll only need 1 sheet of paper for it. Here are the files for download:

1. A4 format
2. US Letter format

Configure your printer to print real size (do not adjust to page).

Here’s a list of the parts:

Head

1. Cut 2 on fold from main fabric, lining and interfacing.
2. Add 1 cm/0.4 in seam allowance to main fabric and lining.

Belly

1. Cut 1 on fold from white felt, don’t add seam allowance.

Eye

1. Cut 2 from white felt, don’t add seam allowance.

Pupil

1. Cut 2 from black felt, don’t add seam allowance.

Center stripe

1. Cut 1 on fold from main fabric, lining and interfacing.
2. Add 1 cm/0.4 in seam allowance to main fabric and lining.

Zipper side

1. Cut 1 on fold from main fabric, lining and interfacing.
2. Add 1 cm/0.4 in seam allowance to main fabric and lining.

D-ring loop

1. Cut 2 from main fabric, don’t add seam allowance.

Ear

1. Cut 2 mirroring pairs from main fabric, add 1 cm/0.4 in seam allowance.
2. Cut 2 mirroring pairs from interfacing.

Fur

1. Cut 3 from main fabric, don’t add seam allowance.

Nose

1. Cut from black felt.

You’ll need the head part of the bag, so cut that on fold.

Prepare the two eye pieces and pupils, you’ll be stitching them together and to the front of the bag. Put a little Stylefix tape in the center of each eye and attach the pupils to it so they don’t move when you stitch them.

Topstitch the pupils around the edge.

Open one of your head pieces and place the pattern on it respecting the seam allowance. This will help you place the face pieces. Start with the nose, it will create the center and help you place the eyes. You can attach the nose with Stylefix as well. Topstitch around the edges.

If you’re using furry main fabric, some of the hair will get caught in the stitches. Use a pin to gently pull the hair out of the stitches.

Now you have the nose topstitched to the head.

Put the pattern back on the head and place one eye. Attach with tape and topstitch around the edge.

Do the same with the other eye.

Topstitch the 3 fur pieces to the belly part.

Place the belly on the front, center it nicely and topstitch.

Embroider whiskers with a zigzag stitch.

Now you can iron the interfacing onto the wring side of both headpieces.

You can also iron on the interfacing to the remaining pieces that require it – ears, center stripe and zipper sides. You’ll be needing them in the next steps.

Fold both long sides of the loop to the center and stitch the center with a zigzag.

The loops are ready.

Place one lining zipper face right side up.

Place the zipper on it upside up. The lining piece should be a little longer on each side. It doesn’t matter which side you’ll stitch first align one long side of the lining with one long side of the zipper. I recommend attaching these sides first with Stylefix.

Now place one main fabric zipper side wrong side up on the zipper, aligning it with the side you’re stitching, use Stylefix also here or you can use pins.

Now stitch that side leaving about 1 cm/0.4 in on each side not stitched. Use a zipper foot on your machine. I don’t stitch as close to the zipper as I could because I want the fur to be a bit further, there will be less change of it getting caught in the zipper.

Turn both lining and main fabric piece away from the zipper so you can see the zipper.

Topstitch 0,5 cm/0.2 in from the inner edge.

Now you’ll do the other side of the zipper. Place the other lining piece right side up and the zipper on it, aligning the other long side of the zipper with the side of the lining.

Place the main fabric zipper side on it wrong side up just like you did on the other side. Stitch.

Open and topstitch.

This is the lining side of the zipper piece.

Place two mirroring ear pieces right sides together and stitch 1 cm/0.4 in from the edge. Leave the bottom side open.

Turn the ears right side out through the opening.

Also here, don’t forget to gently pull out the hair that got caught in the stitches.

Pin the ears inside the marks for ears on the patter. The ears have to be lying on the head piece.

Stitch them 0,5 cm/0.4 in from the edge.

Make small cuts along both long sides of the main fabric of the zipper piece (you can do the same for the lining or do it later). The cuts have to be only about 2 mm/0.08 in. Make them every 1,5 – 2,5 cm/0.6 – 1 in. These cuts will help attach the straight side of the zipper piece to the round side of the main bag piece. Use the zipper marks from the pattern and place the zipper piece between them. The zipper piece is actually a little longer and about 1 cm/0.4 in of the zipper piece will go beyond the zipper mark.

Pin the main fabric of the zipper piece to one of the head pieces from main fabric (I started with the face), fold the lining of the zipper piece back so you don’t accidentally stitch it. Stitch the pinned side within the seam allowance but leave the 1 cm/0.4 in on each side unstitched.

Now you can turn it right side out and pull out the fur caught in the stitches.

Next you’ll be attaching the center piece to the bottom of the head piece. Make the same small cuts on the long sides of the center piece. Pin between the zipper marks and even here you should have some extra length of the center piece on each side, so leave this unstitched.

You’ll later sew this extra length to the extra length of the zipper piece.

Here’s a detailed view of the small cuts in the long side.

Stitch the extra length of the zipper piece and center stripe right sides together (on both sides).

Turn it right side out.

Pull each D-ring loop through a D-ring ad fold the loop.

Stitch the ends of the folded loop about 2 cm/0.8 in below the end of the zipper and then also right under the zipper. Do the same with the other loop. In other cases, I would sew the loops in the seam between the center stripe and zipper piece but my machine doesn’t handle this amount of layers when one of them is as thick as the fur layer. So I stitched from the right side and the fur hid the stitches nicely so I’m happy with the result.

Pin and stitch also the other head piece of the bag. Don’t forget to make the tiny cuts in the straight sides.

The zipper piece has its lining, now for the rest of the lining. Place one of the head pieces right side up and transfer the zipper marks. Pin the center stripe from mark to mark on the bottom side just like you did with the main fabric. Once again, the center stripe will overlap the marks by 1 cm/0.4 in. Make small cuts on the long sides of the center stripe and stitch 1 cm/0.4 in from edge.

Pin and sew the other head part of the lining to the other side of the center stripe only this time, leave a 10 cm/4 in opening.

Turn the main fabric wrong side out, leave the zipper open. Turn the lining piece right side out and place it inside the main fabric piece and align both pieces well. Right now, the pieces are right sides together. Pin and then stitch the zipper lining and the upper part of the lining head piece between the zipper marks (where you would sew on the zipper if this was the main fabric).

Now stitch the overlapping 1 cm/0.4 in of the lining center piece and overlapping 1 cm/0.4 in of the lining of the zipper piece.

Turn the Totoro bag right side out through the opening you left in the lining. Do this very slowly and carefully.

Stitch the opening from the right side with your machine, or – and this looks better – with the Invisible stitch.

The Totoro handbag is done but you still need to add the strap.

Pull one end of the strap around the center of the slider.

Topstitch right at the slider.

Pull the other end of the strap through one of the D-rings.

And back through the slider from one side to the other.

Pull it through.

And then through the other D-ring and stitch right at the D-ring.

Your Totoro handbag is done and ready to be worn!