Sewing with Waxed Canvas

For the past 2 years, I’ve been playing around with some new materials and equipment. Today I’m taking you behind the scenes throughout this journey as I share some projects I worked on.

I’ve been a long-time admirer of waxed canvas fabric. Waxed canvas is strong, durable, and waterproof and I love how it looks paired with leather.

Making the Fremont Tote in Waxed Canvas and leather.

My first project is the Fremont tote. I purchased a kit from Klum house since this was going to be my first time working with leather and waxed canvas, I thought having materials pre-cut and pre-punched would be a great place to start.

I ended up getting another strap of 1″ leather so that I could try preparing the leather myself.

I wanted the longer strap to be adjustable so I modified the pattern by adding a button stud and spacing 3 holes about 1/2″ apart.

Fremont Tote in waxed canvas and leather made in Toronto

I wanted to try sewing with waxed canvas using my machine – the Janome HD-3000. The fabric is fairly light weight, about 6-7oz so sewing it with this machine was doable. But, as I discovered more options for waxed canvas I realized it would be best to invest in an industrial machine if I wanted to sew with heavier options.

After months of research, I finally found a reasonably priced industrial machine. In March 2021, I brought home a new-to-me Juki DNU-1541. This is a powerful beast that can handle sewing thick layers of fabric very fast! It definitely has a learning curve and it took some time for us to get acquainted.

Add a couple more months to figure out the correct thread I should be using with waxed canvas (and leather) and sourcing it. Once I had everything in, I had the perfect project in mind:

My husband has been asking me for a murse (man purse) and the Sandhill sling by Noodlehead came to mind.

Making the sandhill sling in waxed canvas and leather

I used a heavier weight black waxed canvas for his bag (about 10oz) and modified the pattern to have an adjustable leather strap instead of webbing. I picked gunmetal for all the hardware.

Sewing with curves was a challenge for sure but like anything, practice makes perfect! I attached the leather strap with rivets and made it adjustable by using a wide mouth strap slider.

We discovered a brilliant hack by accident while hiking in California. He was able to carry his water bottle hands free by attaching the strap to the lid thanks to the swivel hook and d-ring on the bag.

The Sandhill sling a pattern by noodlehead — Photo taken at Aliso Peak Trail, Orange County, California

Check out this vlog to see the Sandhill sling in action on our hike.

I had so much fun putting these bags together and knew I wanted to be able to offer new products in the shop with these materials. I started doing more research about leather and came across a well known tannery from Italy that produces premium, full grain, vegetable tanned leather.

This leather is their top grade and has a nice balance between supple and firm. Vegetable tanned leather will age with you and develop a beautiful patina adding uniqueness to the finished piece as you use it, telling a story of who you are as time goes on.

I brought in a hide so I could learn how to cut and prepare the straps myself. Once I got the hang of it, it was time for another project!

Making the factotum bag in waxed canvas and leather.

This is the Factotum by Merchant and Mills. It’s a small but mighty cross body bag. It has 2 pockets in the front and a zippered closure that can hold my essentials with plenty of room for more.

Sewing with waxed canvas using Juki DNU-1541

The Factotum Bag a pattern by Merchant and Mills.

The Factotum Bag a sewing pattern by Merchant and Mills in waxed canvas and leather.

Once I figured out my leather + canvas combo, it was play time in the studio!

Making Waxed Canvas and Leather bags in Toronto.

I made these bags to be used for our trip to California back in December 2021.

In addition to my cross-body bag, I wanted to make a reversible tote/backpack for traveling. I also wanted to try sewing with leather using my new-to-me Juki, and this is what I came up with.

The leather pocket was easy to sew. The size is perfect for what I need to carry during an outing: A water bottle, a small project bag, lots of snacks, wipes, hand sanitizer, scarf, toiletry bag, etc.

Pearadise Island Waxed Canvas and leather bags made in Toronto.

I’m proud of it even though it didn’t quite turn out how I wanted it to in my head. I wasn’t exactly able to carry it as a tote bag and the straps need padding for support. A work-in-progress design that I can’t wait to re-visit as time permits.