For as long as she can remember, Ingrid Berzsenyi-Paetzel has had an inner desire to create. She was introduced to sewing by the women in her family and by her grandfather, who had his own tailoring business. Tailoring is a craft and a way of expressing herself creatively. Through the slow act of sewing, she aims to create a relationship with each garment.

“We can make clothes that fit our bodies and reflect our personalities, and we can do it sustainably. I only buy high-quality fabrics, preferably organic. I like to use old, discarded jeans for my bag designs. Denim is an indestructible material that almost everyone has at home, and it’s especially good for bags because the pattern pieces are not so big.”

The ROSA patchwork tote bag is simple in its form but elaborate in its features. The outer fabric is made entirely from upcycled denim. You can close the top of the bag with a zipper and add extra internal pockets to hold items such as a wallet or a laptop. Instead of patchwork, you can also cut the outer fabric from a single piece.

From each pattern purchase, we give 50% to the designer. Our goal is to support independent creatives and promote a democratic and open society.

All photos by Laura Oja. Illustrations by Ivona Fodora.

Fabric Recommendations:
The patchwork on the outside of ROSA is made from discarded jeans. Make sure that the jeans do not contain any elastane. You can also make the bag from other materials in patchwork or in one piece. Choose robust medium to heavy-weight fabrics such as canvas, heavy oilskin, upholstery fabric, or similar. Choose medium to lightweight woven fabrics such as cotton for the lining.

Stabilize the wrong side of the finished patchwork with medium-strong iron-on interfacing. This will keep the seam allowances pressed apart and flat.

The outer fabric of the sample is reinforced with iron-on batting and the lining is reinforced with woven interfacing. This makes the bag more stable but not stiff. The base of the bag is also reinforced with a stiff insert so that it holds its shape. You’re welcome to reinforce the bag as you wish!

Fabric Requirements:
For sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9)

Bag fabric:
Patchwork version:
4–5 pairs of jeans in different shades of blue with similar fabric thickness

One-piece version:
width 22"/55 cm, length 35.4"/90 cm

Lining:
width 55"/140 cm, length 31.5"/80 cm

Interfacing:
iron-on batting for the outer fabric:
width 35.4"/90 cm, length 22"/55 cm medium-strong iron-on interfacing for the patchwork: width 35.4"/90 cm, length 12.6"/32 cm woven interfacing for the lining: width 35.4"/90 cm, length 31.5"/80 cm

Files:
A4 (home printing) and A0 (copy shop printing) PDF files with layers, sizes nested. Sewing instructions are in a separate PDF file.

Delivery:
After purchasing, you will receive a link to download the PDF files. There are no delivery charges for the digital patterns, as they are delivered automatically via email immediately after purchase. PDF patterns are only eligible for return and refund if the provided download links have not been used. If the download links have been used, the product will not be refunded.