Cork fabric is absolutely amazing to sew with – the natural cork, sustainably harvested from trees in Portugal, is bonded to cotton/poly blend fabric. It’s great for wallets, bags, and other small accessories. I stock about 80 variesties of cork fabric in my shop!
In this video, I show you different examples of cork fabric. I also discuss what tools are needed to sew with cork, and a few techniques for making straps and accents.
What do you think? Have you tried sewing with cork fabric before?
Great video I was thinking about using cork but did not know where to start. Thanks!
Thank you Ellen, good luck!
Thanks for the video. I have been kind of hesitant to try it. How does something as used as a handle hold up after some time?
Hi Nicky! I’ve used a few bags personally that I made with cork (I’ve made both ways – kind of like double-fold bias tape, and also with just folding wrong sides together and topstitching), and I haven’t noticed anything adverse happening (straps not breaking or anything like that).
What thread would you use for cork fabric please
Hi Sharon! I use Aurifil 40wt thread.
Well done! Have cork & ready to try it!
Woohoo! Can’t wait to see your finished bag!
Dry good thank you , I’m starting to sew with cork so that was really helpful.
Thank you Brenda, so glad it was helpful!
I m excited to use cork! You have a very nice, easy to understand and confident presentation. Teach us more!
I certainly will, thanks Diane!
Great job Sara! I used cork for the first time on the Emblem duffle bag that I made recently. I wish I”d watched this video first – would’ve made those Reisende tabs look a lot cleaner if I had sewn them to a rectangle first. Now on to making another bag with cork!
Great tutorial! Gotta try this!
So happy it was helpful Linda!
Helpful and timely; just bought my first piece of cork fabric. I love purses and cork will make them look professional instead of homemade.
Thanks Becky! I completely agree!
Loved the video for strap making. It will come in handy when I make a tote. What about interfacing on a tote or Clutch. Suggestions for facing. Thank you for making it look so easy.
Hi Madeline! For a bag or clutch in cork, I usually like to use the interfacing as called for in the pattern – for straps/accents, I skip the interfacing. Hope this helps!
I’m ready to take the plunge! Thank you for this video and the bag video!
Thanks Tina! I know you’ll do great!
Sara, do you sale a pattern with a tutorial video?
Hi Dolores! All of my online workshops are here: https://sewsweetness.com/product-category/patterns-2/patterns-with-videos
Thanks Sara, very helpful. I am currently working on the Rockstar bag and the body is cork. I am using Microtex needles in my Babylock Ellisimo, but even with a 60/8 size (tried 90/14 and 70/10), I am still getting some skipped stitches. You mentioned also denim needles – what size would you suggest? I know I’m going to love this bag, just need to work out this kink so I can feel that it will look perfect. Thanks much
Hi Marcia, what kind of thread are you using? Denim needles or a walking foot can help – you also may need to adjust the tension on your sewing machine.
Great tutorial – ready to try cork fabric!!! Do you have a particular website that you like to purchase your different variety of cork fabric from?
Hi Tamara! Thank you so much! I sell about 80 varieties of cork in my shop: https://sewsweetness.com/product-category/fabric/cork
This’s a very helpful post! I had no idea it was so easy!
Embroidery Library
It is!!!
Just recently became aware of the cork fabric and it is intriguing…may have to take the plunge! Thanks for making it look so easy. One question I do have though–is it washable at all?
The cork is definitely water-resistant – I’m not sure if I would throw it in the washer and dryer (although you could – we have tested samples of fabric that way in the past). I would suggest wiping clean with a damp rag instead.
Thank you for the speedy reply! Happy New Year!
Thank You for producing the video on sewing with cork. I have never sewn with it before so appreciate the info on thread and needles.
What brand/model of sewing machine are you using?
I use a Juki TL-2010Q. I’ll be talking about it this Tuesday (1/16/18) on Facebook Live and YouTube Live at 7pm CT during my ‘Ask Sara’ show.
Can you butt the ends of cork pieces and sew them to make longer pieces for straps??
Hello Brenda! I did a demonstration on how to do this near the end of one of my Sewcial Sunday videos: https://sewsweetness.com/2018/04/sewcial-sunday-april-8.html
I’m portuguese and you won’t believe if I told you it’s so hard to find cork fabric!… Living in Sintra, 25km from Lisbon, I m use taking the train to Lisbon and looking for new fabrics and new ideas, but never found this particular fabric!..
I watched this video because I was hoping it would show more about making the bag itself out of cork, not just the straps. It is a great video, but what I am wanting to learn is if and how you would interface the cork for the outside of bag like a tote or a zip bag…or do you not interface the cork and just interface the lining? Before I venture out to make a tote, wanted to try a simple wristlet/zip bag. The natural cork I have feels rather thin and wondered if bag would turn out floppy, although yours look nice and sturdy. Would you have a video to shed some light on interfacing with cork for the body of the bag, not just the straps? Thanks.
Hello Michelle! I usually use the same interfacing as called for in the pattern. For straps or accents, I usually do not use interfacing. Here are a couple of full-length free video examples where I used cork in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXhtzHu6KCU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDYWEZfdZzM
What is the name of the bag pattern shown here?
Hello! Nice video. Can we sew cork with a cheap sewing machine or you need a very good one for that type of fabric?
Hello Isabelle! It probably depends on your machine. My first machine for bag-making was a cheap $120 Brother machine, and it handled making bags pretty well. Your machine should be able to handle thick layers (at least 2 layers of foam and 2 layers of thick fabric) if you think you might want to make a bag with cork, something of that nature. Thank you!
Thanks for the video. When you attach the handle to the bag, do you fold it over and stitch?
Hi there! It depends on how the pattern requests the handles to be attached. If they are going through hardware, you can either stitch the end to the strap or you can use a rivet or Chicago screw in place of stitching (sometimes people do this either for looks or to help deal with the layers, so they don’t need to be sewn).