Sustainable Fanny Pack Sewing Pattern (aka Bumbag Pattern!)

I have always loved fanny packs. Maybe it was growing up as a teen in the 90s, but there’s something about using a fanny pack (also known as a bumbag or hip bag for my non-US readers) that makes me happy!

And so, it made total sense that my first pattern release would be a fanny pack sewing pattern!

The great thing about this pattern is that it is a great way of making a sustainable fanny pack.

Because of the design, it can be constructed from one fabric or many. It uses no zippers or ‘tricky to remove’ hardware.

And did I mention what a cute fanny pack it is too?

The Fanny Pack Sewing Pattern

This sewing pattern is named after one of my closest friends, Clio, who is a very sporty person.

She can often be seen with a water pouch or running pack with her, which is what partly inspired me to create this fanny pack sewing pattern!

Clio invited me over to the US for an adventure camping trip to celebrate her birthday. One thing I found frustrating, was that my day pack wasn’t great for accessing y water bottle whilst we were hiking.

The, while living on the island of Anglesey in 2018, I found myself wandering many times on foot, often carrying a huge backpack because I needed water with me but didn’t want to walk carrying a water bootle in my hand.

Which just doesn’t make for fun walking trips.

This fanny pack pattern has been my saviour since creating it, allowing me to have the essentials with me, without a vast pack.

Fanny Pack Sewing Pattern Basics

The basic requirements for this fanny pack sewing pattern are:

1. 0.35m of fabric (if 140cm wide)
2. 2 O- or D-rings
3. Three buttons
4. A toggle.

Pretty handy right? I love a sewing pattern that requires very little to make up!

How Is It A Sustainable Fanny Pack Pattern?

This fanny pack pattern was designed with sustainability in mind.

I know that when many people throw out clothes or bags, they are either sent to a charity shop / thrift store, or they end up in landfill.

And who ever thinks about taking the zipper out? The time it takes to unpick it… people just don’t seem to have time for that.

And as zippers are typically made of plastic or metal. They’ll take forever to decompose, and I’m not down with that.

So, to make it more sustainable / eco-friendly, I opted to make the three pockets in this fanny pack sewing pattern ‘overlap’ pockets, with simple button and loop closures. After all, buttons are so much easy to chop off before throwing something out, right?

Fanny Pack Construction Guide

The bumbag sewing pattern comes with a construction guide, which has both detailed photos and hand drawn illustrations to help you construct the pattern.

The photos below are an example of the high quality of the instructions so that you can feel confident that you’ll be able to make the bumbag / fanny bag no matter what your sewing level is.

Fanny Pack Variations

Because of the way I created the pattern, you can easily omit certain pattern pieces, and create variations that are less ‘sporty’ functional and more fun or elegant.

Recently I created the version below using an upholstery fabric – isn’t it a beautiful fanny pack? Here is the fanny pack sewing tutorial showing how I created it from my sewing pattern.

How Can I Buy The Fanny Pack Sewing Pattern?

If you’re raring to go, you can purchase the sewing pattern in my online shop. It will be delivered as a PDF for you to download and print off.

The sewing construction guide can be printed or viewed on screen and the instructions are both easy to follow and gorgeous to read through.

My Clio fanny pack sewing pattern currently is available now from my online shop and makes a fab pattern for your summer wanderings or for hand made gifts as we get ready for the holiday season.

You could use old denim jeans to make a refashioned version, use up fabric remnants to create a unique patchwork version or go all out with a crazy print fabric to add some extra pizzazz to you outfits!

In the new year I’ll be making a fringed suede version from some old offcuts I have – join me for the fun?

If you’re in the mood to make some accessories, I have a DIY faux fur pom pom keychain tutorial, my free little wallet sewing pattern and my free easy tote bag pattern and tutorial is a firm favourite too!

Share it out to others!