How to Sew a Circle Fanny Pack: A Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial

If you’ve been looking for a fun, practical, and eye-catching accessory to sew, the circle fanny pack is exactly what you need. This adorable rounded bag sits perfectly at your waist, holds all your everyday essentials, and makes a statement wherever you go. Whether you’re headed to a festival, a farmers market, or just running errands, a handmade circle fanny pack adds a personal touch that store-bought bags simply can’t match.

This tutorial walks you through the entire process of making your own circle fanny pack from start to finish, using the Tinnberry Patterns approach. You’ll learn how to cut your fabric pieces, sew the zipper, attach the strap hardware, and finish the bag so it looks polished and professional. Even if you’re a beginner, don’t be intimidated — this project is very beginner-friendly as long as you take it step by step, and by the end you’ll have a bag you’re genuinely proud to wear.

Let’s get into it.

What You’ll Need

Before you sit down at your sewing machine, gather all your materials. Having everything on hand before you start makes the process so much smoother and helps you avoid stopping mid-project.

Fabric: You’ll need an outer fabric and a lining fabric. For the outer, something with a little structure works beautifully — canvas, denim, quilting cotton with interfacing, or even faux leather. For the lining, a smooth cotton quilting fabric or a ripstop nylon both work great. You’ll need approximately half a yard of each, though the exact amount depends on the finished size you’re making.

Interfacing: A woven or fusible interfacing is recommended for the outer fabric to give the bag body and help it hold its circular shape. Medium-weight fusible interfacing is a good all-around choice.

Zipper: A 7-inch or 9-inch zip works well for a standard-size circle fanny pack. Use a nylon coil zipper for a smooth operation and an easier sewing experience, especially if you’re newer to zipper installation.

Nylon webbing: You’ll need approximately 50 to 60 inches of 1-inch wide nylon webbing for the adjustable strap. This length gives you plenty of room to adjust the fit whether you want to wear it as a true fanny pack or slung across your body as a crossbody bag.

Hardware: You’ll need a side-release buckle (also called a clip buckle) and two 1-inch rectangular rings or D-rings to thread your webbing through. These are easy to find at fabric stores or online. Choose a finish — silver, gold, or black — that matches your overall aesthetic.

Thread: Use a strong all-purpose polyester thread that matches or complements your outer fabric.

A sewing machine, scissors or rotary cutter, cutting mat, pins or clips, an iron, and a turning tool round out your supply list.

Understanding the Pattern Pieces

The circle fanny pack is made up of a surprisingly small number of pattern pieces, which is part of what makes it so approachable. At its core, you have two large circles (one outer and one lining for the front panel), two large circles for the back panel (outer and lining), and a long rectangular gusset strip that runs along the entire outer edge of the bag connecting the front and back together. This gusset is where your zipper will be installed.

The gusset is essentially a long, curved strip that wraps all the way around the circumference of the circle. It’s what gives the bag its depth and allows it to hold three-dimensional items rather than lying flat.

If you’re using the Tinnberry Patterns circle fanny pack pattern, your pieces will already be drafted to the correct measurements. If you’re drafting your own, calculate the circumference of your circle (using the formula C = π × diameter) and cut your gusset strip to that length plus a small seam allowance buffer, then add your desired width (typically around 2 to 3 inches for a bag with good depth).

Print and cut all your pattern pieces before you do anything else. If the pattern is printed on multiple sheets of paper, tape them together carefully following the alignment marks, then cut along the outer lines.

Step 1: Cut and Prep Your Fabric

Lay your outer fabric flat on your cutting mat and pin or weight your pattern pieces on top. Cut out your pieces carefully. You’ll cut two circles and one gusset strip from the outer fabric. Repeat the same cuts from your lining fabric.

Then cut the same circle shapes from your interfacing, though you generally don’t need to interface the gusset strip unless your fabric is particularly lightweight and floppy.

Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of your outer fabric circles following the manufacturer’s instructions. Use a damp pressing cloth to protect your fabric, press firmly, and let the pieces cool completely before moving them.

While your pieces are cooling, take this time to press all your fabric pieces with an iron. Well-pressed fabric is flat, easier to work with, and results in cleaner seams. This step is small but it makes a genuinely noticeable difference in your finished bag.

Step 2: Prepare and Install the Zipper

Installing the zipper into the gusset is the step that intimidates most people, but once you understand the method, it becomes one of the most satisfying parts of the whole project.

First, cut your gusset strip pieces. You’ll have two shorter gusset sections on either side of the zipper and two longer gusset sections that make up the rest of the circumference. The zipper panel connects these two shorter gusset sections.

Take your outer gusset zipper panel (the short strip) and your lining gusset zipper panel. Place one side of the zipper right side down on the right side of your outer zipper panel, with the zipper tape aligned along the long edge. Place the lining panel right side down on top, sandwiching the zipper tape between them. Pin or clip this stack together and sew along the zipper tape using a zipper foot.

Flip the panels away from each other so the right sides are facing outward and both fabric panels are on the same side of the zipper tape. Press with an iron to get a crisp edge right along the zipper teeth — getting close to the zipper without touching the nylon teeth directly. Topstitch along this edge about an eighth of an inch from the fold.

Repeat this process on the other side of the zipper with the remaining zipper panels.

You should now have a clean, finished zipper panel with both outer and lining fabrics neatly encasing the zipper tape on both sides.

Step 3: Assemble the Gusset Strip

Now join the zipper panel to the remaining gusset sections to form one long continuous loop.

Attach the remaining outer gusset sections to either end of the outer zipper panel, right sides together, and sew using your standard seam allowance (typically half an inch). Do the same with the lining gusset sections on the lining side.

Stitch the short ends of the gusset strip together to form a complete loop, making sure your outer and lining fabrics are facing correctly. You’ll want to open the zipper partway before you close the loop — a critically important step you do not want to forget, because a closed zipper is how you’ll turn the bag right side out later. If you skip this, you’ll have no way to access the inside of the bag after sewing it closed.

Step 4: Attach the D-Rings for the Strap

Before you attach the gusset to the circle panels, you need to add your D-rings or rectangular rings. This is where your strap hardware will be anchored.

Cut two small rectangles of your outer fabric, approximately 2 inches wide and 3 inches long (or follow the measurements in the Tinnberry Patterns guide). Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise, right sides together, and sew along the long edge. Turn them right side out using a turning tool or a safety pin, press flat, then loop each one through a D-ring and fold it in half so the raw ends align.

Position these tabs at opposite sides of the gusset loop — one on each side of the zipper, roughly centered. The raw ends of the tab should stick out into the seam allowance so that when you attach the gusset to the circle panels, those tabs get sewn in and anchored securely. Baste them in place.

Step 5: Attach the Gusset to the Circle Panels

This is where it all comes together. You’re going to sew the gusset loop onto your circle panels, which requires easing the straight strip around a curved edge. Take your time here and use plenty of clips or pins.

Place one outer circle right side up. Take your assembled gusset loop and align the raw edge of the outer gusset with the raw edge of the circle, right sides together. The seam where the gusset loop closes should align with a spot at the bottom of the circle. Clip the gusset generously around the entire circumference so it eases smoothly around the curve without puckering or pulling.

Sew all the way around using a half-inch seam allowance, going slowly and keeping the fabric aligned as you go. If the gusset wants to shift or bunch, ease it gently with your fingers and add more clips as needed. It’s normal for this step to require a bit of coaxing — curved seams always do.

Repeat for the other circle on the other side of the gusset, making sure the outer circle goes to the outer gusset and the lining circle eventually goes to the lining gusset.

Clip the curved seam allowances all the way around both circles to help the seam lie flat and smooth when turned. Make small cuts every half inch or so without cutting into the stitching line itself.

Step 6: Attach the Lining

You’ll now repeat the attachment process for your lining circles. Sew the lining circles to the lining side of the gusset the same way you did with the outer circles, right sides together.

Before you close the lining completely, leave a gap of about 4 inches somewhere along one of the lining circle seams. This gap is your turning opening, the small tunnel through which you’ll pull the entire bag right side out.

Step 7: Turn and Close

Here’s the magic moment. Reach through the open zipper and then through your turning gap, grab the outer fabric, and pull the whole bag through. It takes a little patience and some wiggling, but suddenly the entire bag will pop right side out, and all your seams will be hidden on the inside.

Use a turning tool or the eraser end of a pencil to gently push out the seam around the zipper and smooth out the circle edges. Press the entire bag with an iron to settle the seams.

Fold the raw edges of your turning gap inward so they align neatly, pin or clip them shut, and sew the gap closed with either a machine stitch close to the edge or a hand slipstitch if you want it completely invisible.

Tuck the lining neatly inside the bag and press once more. If you like, topstitch around the outer edge of both circles for a polished, structured look.

Step 8: Make and Attach the Adjustable Strap

Thread your nylon webbing through the hardware to create an adjustable strap. The classic fanny pack strap setup uses one side-release buckle and two D-rings (the ones already attached to your bag).

Cut your webbing into two pieces — one longer and one shorter — or work with a single continuous length depending on the hardware configuration you’re using. Thread the strap ends through the D-rings on the bag first, folding them over and stitching them down with a box stitch (sew a rectangle, then an X inside it) for maximum strength. Then thread the strap through the buckle according to its design so it can be adjusted and clipped open and shut.

Melt the cut ends of the nylon webbing briefly with a lighter to prevent fraying. Do this carefully and briefly — you just want to seal the edge, not burn the strap.

Tips for a Beautiful Finish

A few extra details will elevate your finished circle fanny pack from homemade to handcrafted.

Press after every single seam. This one habit alone will make a bigger difference in the quality of your work than almost anything else. A well-pressed bag looks like it came from a boutique.

If your outer fabric is slippery or stretchy, stabilize it with a slightly heavier interfacing before you even cut your pieces. It’s much easier to control when it has body to it.

Don’t rush the zipper installation. If your zipper is crooked or puckered, the whole bag will show it. Take the time to press after every zipper step and topstitch slowly and evenly.

Choose a zipper pull that makes a statement. A leather zipper pull, a tassel, or a decorative charm attached to the zipper tab is an easy way to give your bag a custom, finished look with almost no extra effort.

When attaching the gusset to the circles, sew with the gusset on top so you can see exactly what you’re doing and control the curve more easily.

Mix and Match to Make It Yours

One of the best things about making your own circle fanny pack is that you have complete creative control. Mix a floral outer fabric with a contrasting stripe lining that peeks out when the zipper opens. Use faux leather for the outer and pair it with a bright, fun cotton lining. Try a waxed canvas for a durable outdoor bag. Add an exterior slip pocket to the back circle before assembling if you want quick-access storage. Use a printed canvas and add hand embroidery or iron-on patches for a one-of-a-kind result.

The shape stays the same but the possibilities are genuinely endless, which is why the circle fanny pack pattern has become such a staple for makers who love to experiment.

Final Thoughts

Making your own circle fanny pack is one of those projects that teaches you a handful of important sewing skills — zipper installation, curved seam sewing, working with hardware — while producing something immediately useful and wearable. It’s the kind of project you’ll want to make again and again once you get the hang of the construction.

The Tinnberry Patterns approach to this bag keeps everything clean and logical, so even if you’ve never sewn a bag from scratch before, you can follow along and end up with a result you’re proud of. Take your time on each step, press frequently, and don’t be afraid to unpick and redo a step if something doesn’t look right the first time. That’s not failure — that’s how good sewists work.

Now go gather your fabrics, cut your circles, and make yourself a bag. You’ve got this.