by Imagine a spacious, cylinder-shaped duffel bag that is soft, padded, and incredibly durable—all constructed from one continuous, stabilized panel of quilted fabric! This detailed tutorial, inspired by the incredibly simple yet effective method in the “The simplest way to sew a DIY travel quilted bag easily!” video from Miarti – Reuse, will guide you through creating this unique travel accessory. The brilliance of this design is its hyper-efficient construction, which uses a single, long piece for the body and two circles for the ends, resulting in a clean, professional “barrel” shape.
Get ready to transform quilted cotton and a zipper into a roomy, comfortable, and stylish bag perfect for overnight trips, gym gear, or weekend getaways!
Why This “Quilted Travel Barrel” Bag Will Be Your New Favorite
This design is a masterclass in combining comfort with simple construction, offering several compelling reasons to make it your next sewing project:
- Instant Padding & Structure: Using pre-quilted fabric (or thick felt fused to cotton) provides built-in padding and stability without complex interfacing steps.
- Cylindrical Shape: The simple construction of a long rectangle sewn to two circles creates a classic, spacious barrel bag shape.
- Minimal Seams: The long body is constructed from one piece, eliminating side seams and maximizing durability.
- Professional Finish: The raw seams inside the bag where the circles attach are beautifully concealed using bias tape binding.
- Fast Assembly: The assembly process is streamlined, focusing on stitching the main body panels together and finishing the ends with bias binding.
Materials & Cutting List:
The video shows the use of cotton fabric and thick felt for structure, along with chintz/cotton for the lining and webbing for the handles.
| Piece | Fabric | Dimensions | Notes |
| Main Body Exterior | Quilted Cotton Fabric | 1 piece, 75 cm x 45 cm | The long strip that wraps around. |
| Main Body Interfacing | Thick Felt/Wadding | 1 piece, 75 cm x 45 cm | Fused to the back of the cotton. |
| End Cap Exterior | Quilted Cotton Fabric | 2 pieces, 24 cm diameter | Two circles for the ends. |
| Lining Fabric | Chintz or Cotton | 1 piece, 75 cm x 45 cm | |
| End Cap Lining | Chintz or Cotton | 2 pieces, 24 cm diameter | |
| Zipper | Continuous or Pre-cut | 1 piece, 40 cm long | |
| Handles | Webbing/Sturdy Fabric | 2 pieces, 60 cm long x 3 cm wide | |
| Finishing | Bias Tape/Binding | ~160 cm x 4 cm | For covering the raw edges of the end caps. |
| Basic Tools: Sewing machine, heavy-duty needle, large bowl (for tracing circles), pins/clips, and iron. |
Step-by-Step Tutorial: Crafting Your “Quilted Travel Barrel” Bag
This tutorial is broken down into four key phases: preparation and stabilization, zipper and handle installation, assembling the barrel body, and the final finishing. All seam allowances are 1 cm unless otherwise stated.
Phase 1: Preparation and Stabilization
The structure is established by stabilizing the main body panel and preparing the handles.
- Stabilize the Exterior: Iron the Thick Felt/Wadding onto the wrong side of the 75 cm x 45 cm Exterior Fabric piece. Fuse it securely to create one rigid, padded panel.
- Cut End Caps: Using a 24 cm diameter template (like a large bowl or plate), cut two circles from the stabilized Exterior Fabric and two circles from the Lining Fabric.
- Prepare Handles: Take the two 60 cm Handles. Mark the center point of the 45 cm edges of the Main Body Exterior Panel. Baste the handle ends to this mark, about 10 cm in from the top and bottom raw edges.
Phase 2: Zipper Installation and Body Construction
The main body rectangle is sewn together to form the cylinder and integrate the zipper.
- Cut Zipper Opening: Along the center of the 75 cm x 45 cm Exterior Panel (the 75 cm length), cut a straight line for the zipper opening, slightly shorter than your 40 cm zipper.
- Attach Zipper to Exterior: Center and pin the 40 cm Zipper into the opening on the exterior panel, right sides facing. Stitch all around the zipper opening to secure the zipper. Press and topstitch around the zipper for a clean finish.
- Attach Lining: Lay the 75 cm x 45 cm Lining Fabric on top of the exterior panel, aligning all edges, right sides together (zipper is sandwiched). Pin around all four sides.
- Sew Perimeter: Stitch all around the entire perimeter. Leave a 15 cm opening along one of the long 75 cm edges for turning.
- Turn and Close: Unzip the zipper. Pull the entire unit right side out through the turning hole. Stitch the hole closed. Press the entire panel flat.
Phase 3: Assembling the Barrel Body
The final, three-dimensional shape is created by sewing the long rectangle into a tube and attaching the circular ends.
- Sew Body Seam: Fold the finished 75 cm x 45 cm rectangular panel in half along the 75 cm length, aligning the two 45 cm raw edges. Pin and stitch this seam closed to form a large cylinder/tube (the barrel body).
- Turn Lining Inside: Push the lining back into the exterior, turning the piece wrong side out again, so the quilted exterior and lining are together, with all raw edges facing out.
- Attach End Caps: Take the two End Cap Circles (Exterior and Lining). Pin the raw, circular edge of an End Cap to the raw, circular opening of the cylinder. Clip or pin meticulously all the way around, easing the straight fabric to fit the curve.
- Stitch End Caps: Stitch the end cap to the barrel body all the way around. Repeat for the second end cap on the opposite end.
Phase 4: Final Finishing with Bias Tape
The seams where the end caps join the body are neatly covered with binding for a professional, durable finish.
- Apply Bias Binding: The final step is covering the raw seams where the circular end caps meet the barrel body with Bias Tape.
- Turn the bag wrong side out. Pin the Bias Tape to the raw seam allowance on the inside of the bag, aligning the edge of the bias tape with the raw seam edge.
- Stitch the bias tape down, wrap it over the raw edge, and stitch it down again on the inside, fully enclosing the raw seam. This gives the bag a highly professional and durable finish.
- Repeat this process for the seam on the second end cap.
- Final Reveal: Turn the bag right side out through the main zipper opening. Push out the end caps to form the perfect barrel shape.
Your unique “Quilted Travel Barrel” Bag is complete! Enjoy your incredibly soft, spacious, and stylish travel duffel.
Video tutorial:
