Hot Sauce Back Pack Version 2
- Jennifer Herron
- Mar 1
- 10 min read
Updated: Mar 14
Perhaps you've seen my original hot sauce before, or maybe you haven't.
If you have, you might notice that some things about this bag are the same, while others are different.
I am still using Taco Bell Hot Sauces and the making of fabric remained the same. The key differences in this bag are mostly small construction changes. Making the bag stiffer, and less likely to break.
Supplies
I have included some links to where to find supplies, in case you need to order them. Some of these links maybe affiliate links. Which means, I make a tiny tiny commission if you purchase with the links.
The amount of everything is estimated, and what I would get. I usually get extras, as mistakes happen.
About 200 Taco Bell Hot Sauce packets
Clear Vinyl Fabric - about 1 meter
Lining Fabric - about 1 meter - I use quilting cotton
Scrap Fabric - about 1 meter
Heavy Interfacing - To add extra stiffen to bag
Magnetic Closure - optional for front pocket
Buckle rings for straps
Red Leather - Could be 1/2 meter of red vinyl
Pattern - Unfortunately, the original pattern maker is no longer in business, so I have found a similar-ish backpack pattern - It will be larger then mine. So adjust materials as needed or size down.
Sewing clips - You can't use sewing pins in this project, so clips are a must have
Cleaning
This might be the most time-consuming step and the one I fear the most. Each packet must be meticulously cut at the bottom, the hot sauce squeezed out, and then washed with soap and water before being left to dry.
Your hands may smell like hot sauce but on a positive note, you can squeeze the hot sauce into a container and have so many tacos after.
I don't separate the levels of spice. Just all in one container. However feel free to take the extra step, if you want
Making Hot Sauce Fabric
Finally, after all the cleaning and waiting for the packets to dry, we can begin sewing them together. I prefer to have my pattern ready, so I can sew the pieces slightly larger than the pattern pieces. This way, I avoid wasting extra packets on making unnecessary fabric. Sewing the packets is quite straightforward:
1) Place two packets with the right sides together, ensuring the logos face the same direction. Sew them together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
2) After sewing, open the seam allowance with your fingers and use sewing clips at both ends to keep them open.
NOTE: I find it easier to sew a row of packets first and then proceed to sew the rows together. When joining the rows, use a sewing clip to align the packets at each seam. Sewing pins can't be used as they will create permanent holes in the packets, so sewing clips are essential for this project.
3) After ensuring the hot sauce fabric is large enough and all seams have been finger-pressed open, it's time to press the fabric. Lay it out flat and place a weight on top. Allow it to sit for a few hours or until you're ready to work on it again. This process ensures the hot sauce fabric remains smooth and even.
4) After all that sewing, its time for more sewing. We now need to finish making the fabric for the bag.
Rough cutting the clear vinyl and scrap fabric to the same size as your hot sauce packet fabric. This doesn't need to be exact, as we are not cutting the pattern pieces yet. However, these do need to be bigger then the pattern pieces still.
5) Use tailor's chalk or a similar tool to draw lines on the scrap fabric. Mark the guideline lines, which will serve as your sewing guide when stitching all the layers together. I opted for a 45-degree angle with 1-inch spacing.
6) Once all the scrap fabric is marked, it's time to quilt the pieces. Begin with clear vinyl fabric, then the hot sauce fabric, then the hot sauce packets facing the vinyl, and finally the scrap fabric with guidelines facing outward. Use sewing clips to hold this stack together.
NOTE: When sewing along the guidelines, keep in mind that every stitch creates a permanent hole in both the vinyl and hot sauce fabric. I find it best to start in a corner, stitching a short length first, and then working my way across the fabric. I highly recommend assembling this stack with one hot packet initially. This will provide some practice and help you adjust your machine's stitch length and tension for the task.
Cutting Pattern Pieces & Sewing
Congratulations!! You have made the fabric for the bag. Now you can cut the pattern pieces out.
You will be cutting the fabric for the outside of the bag, with the hot sauce fabric, the lining fabric and the interfacing.
The interfacing, will get trimmed down at the end, to fit the bag.
Once you have the pieces, its a matter following the instructions of your pattern.
However, due to the original pattern I altered is no longer available, I will provide directions. If anything is unclear, or you need help with a side, please reach out to me.
I have listed the pattern pieces here, and the additional cuts needed
Front/Back Pattern piece - Cut 2 in hot sauce fabric, Cut 2 lining and Cut 2 Interfacing
Pocket - Cut 1 in Hot sauce fabric
Pocket flap - Cut 2 in hot sauce fabric
Zipper Strips - Cut 2 approximately 2.25" wide (the length of a hot sauce packet) by 20" long.
Cut 2 from the lining fabric.
Bottom strip - Cut 1 approximately 3.5" wide ( the width of 3 hot suce packets sewn together) by 22"
Cut 1 from lining fabric and Cut 1 from interfacing
Shoulder straps - Cut 2 in red leather 4" by 40" and Cut 2 in red leather 4" by 5"
Hanging loop - Cut 1 in red leather 1.5" by 5"
Pocket flap edging - Cut 1 in red leather 1.5" by 7"
Lining Pocket - Cut 1 in Lining fabric 12" by 15"
If you're using a magnetic closure, start by sewing it in place. Test the fit first to ensure you don't accidentally sew over the magnets.
To keep the seams hidden, attach the closure to the back side of the pocket before folding. For the pocket flap, sew the closure onto the back side of the hot sauce fabric, on the inward-facing flap.
Begin with the pocket flap by sewing both flaps together with the right sides facing each other, leaving the top edge un-stitched. Trim the corners, and turn it right side out.
Top-stitch around the flap, using your 7" strip of leather as binding to sew over the open raw edges of the pocket flap. Next, fold the leather edge toward the inside flap side, where the magnetic closure is sewn in. Use sewing clips to hold the fold in place.
You want to use the clips to fold the pocket seams and secure them in place, giving them time to hold their shape. Since we can't use pins or an iron to set and hold the fabric, the clips are necessary to create and set the folds. The next step is not for the faint-hearted, you are going to attach the pocket to the front of the bag. If necessary, use washi tape to help keep the pocket in place. If you make a mistake, you'll need to either create a new bag front or accept permanent holes in it. There’s no real trick to it; just take your time and triple-check the alignment of everything.
I tacked my top edges down first before starting the sewing. I have included the full clip of myself sewing this step, to show the process better. Once the pocket is attached, proceed to sew the flap. I would advise you to test the fit the flap first to ensure the magnets are aligned.
With the flap open, sew the leather edge onto the front of the bag. I added two rows of stitching, one on each side of the leather. If your machine can manage it, sew the top edge of the pocket flap while it's in the closed position.
Straps & Hanging Loop
Start with the hanging loop, as it is the easiest. The smooth side of the leather is the right side, and the fuzzy side is the wrong side. Take your 1.5" by 5" leather piece and fold it in half, with the wrong sides together. This is called the center fold. Next, fold the edges towards the center fold, again with the wrong sides together, resulting in a total of three folds. Use clips to hold it in place, then sew along both edges using an edge stitch on the sewing machine. Set it aside until the straps are finished.
Each shoulder strap consists of two pieces, folded in the same manner. If the leather piece is large enough, you can cut the 5" piece off after sewing. Like the hanging loop, there are three folds, but the measurements differ. Use clips to hold everything in place as you proceed.
On the first side, fold the leather over one inch, with wrong sides together. The other side has two folds: the first is 1/2" with wrong sides together, followed by another inch from that fold. This positions the 1/2" fold line near the center of the strap.
To sew, edge stitch both sides of the strap and also edge stitch the fold near the center. If sewing through leather or vinyl is challenging, using a hammer to gently tap along the edges can soften the material for easier sewing.
Begin at the base of the bag with the square buckle ring and the 5" length of shoulder strap. First, position the square ring in the center of the strap, folding it in half. Sew the straps together about 1/2" away from the square ring. Then align the raw edges of the strap at the bottom of the bag and sew them in place with a 1/4" seam.
Next, work with the slide buckle and the long shoulder strap. Insert one end of the strap and loop it over the middle bar of the slide buckle, then stitch the edge onto the strap.With the remaining strap, thread it first through the Square Ring at the bottom, then through the slide buckle.
At this stage, the very end of the strap should be connected to the top of the bag. I suggest clipping it in place and trying on the bag. While the straps are adjustable, everyone has different preferences, so if necessary, trim the strap length before sewing it down at the top. Then, stitch the hanging loop at the top over the straps.
Zipper & The Middle
For the zipper portion, you will need the lining, hot sauce fabric pieces, and the zipper (of course). Begin with the hot sauce fabric, sewing the zipper to each side of it. Next, sew the lining pieces to the edges of the zipper. Using both fabric pieces, you can top-stitch along the edge of the zipper.
NOTE: I also like to edge stitch around the entire panel, making it easier to handle in the subsequent steps.
When attaching the bottom strip, use a 1/2" seam allowance. Sew the right sides of the zipper panel and bottom strip together, creating a loop of fabric.
You will top-stitch the bottom strip, positioning the seam allowances towards the bottom strip and away from the zipper. However, before proceeding, I find it best to first test the front of the bag with the zipper loop fabric.
Bag Assembly
When testing the fit of the bag, you can verify the placement of the purse feet. I must admit I skipped this step and just positioned mine, so they ended up being wider than I would have preferred. If you are top stitching the bottom of the bag, hold off on purse feet install, till that stitching is completed.
To install the purse feet, you will need an awl or a sharp tool to puncture through the layers.
Depending on the purse feet, you might need some scrap pieces of interfacing to provide extra stiffness. Once satisfied with the installation, you can use some E6000 glue to help secure them in place. The glue isn't necessary, but it offers a bit of extra assurance.
It's finally time to attach the front to the zipper section. Position the two pieces with the right sides together using sewing clips. Make sure the ends of the zipper align perfectly. You can't use too many clips for this step.
After you are satisfied with the placement of the pieces and have secured them with enough clips to prevent slipping or movement, sew them together with a 1/2" seam allowance. You might need to clip the seam allowance around the corners to reduce tension and allow the bag to sit better.
NOTE: If you plan to top-stitch the bottom part of the bag, do it now, ensuring the seam allowance is all on the middle section of the bag.
Repeat this with back of the bag, on the other side of the zipper section. Leaving the zipper unzipped, to allow for the flipping of the bag. Once completed, flip the bag. If you top-stitched, this is when you add the purse feet.
Lining & finishing
Almost finished!
Begin with the interfacing, sew them together, and dry fit them into the hot sauce bag. The top of the interfacing will likely need to be trimmed to fit into the bag, as well as possibly the seam allowances.
Once the interfacing layer fits nicely in the bag, you can proceed to the lining layer.
The lining pocket is the 12" x 15" fabric piece. Fold the fabric in half, wrong sides together, so the 12" sides meet at the bottom. Top-stitch the fold 1/4" away from the edge. Place that pocket on the back body lining piece, aligning the bottom edges together. Base stitch around the back panel, and trim away any excess fabric from the pocket.
Next, sew the bottom strip onto both the front and back panels, using a 1/2" seam allowance. You may need to clip the edges at the corners here as well. Then, set the lining into the bag, where you can hand sew the edges of the lining onto the bag seam allowances.
However, if you have some skills, you might want to leave a hole in the seam at the bottom of the lining, and then stitch around the top of the bag to install the lining.
Congratulations!!
Now that we have completed the bag, I think it's best to celebrate all the hard work with a trip to Taco Bell.
This is the second version of the bag, and I've made some changes to the original. However, with every project, I learn something new. I won't deny it, as I was finishing this bag, I was already considering how to enhance this design and correct my mistakes. So, quite possibly in a couple of years, I will be creating a Version 3.
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