MYOG basket bag: how much X-Pac and Cordura one bag really needs

The free Wald 137 basket bag pattern lists one yard each of X-Pac, Cordura and lining. One bag needs half of that, if you turn two pieces before cutting. All numbers below come from calculated layouts of the original pattern file, on the roll widths these fabrics are sold in.

The numbers for one bag

Material	Pieces	Width	As drawn	Turned
X-Pac VX21, collar	2	59 in	24.8 in	15.7 in
X-Pac VX21, collar	2	54 in	24.8 in	15.7 in
1000D Cordura, bottom and sides	3	60 in	20.1 in	15.7 in
1000D Cordura, bottom and sides	3	58 in	20.1 in	15.7 in
Ripstop lining, bottom and sides	3	60 in	20.1 in	15.7 in

Cutting lines with the pattern's 3/8 in seam allowance, 10 mm (about 3/8 in) between pieces and from the selvages, fabric open in one layer. "Turned 90°" means the collar or the bottom panel is turned once; the sides stay as drawn. The bottom panel is 14.75 × 18.75 in, the sides 5.75 × 9.75 in and each collar piece 14.375 × 23.75 in.

Every turned layout fits in a half yard (18 in), none of the layouts as drawn does. The materials list in the repository says one yard of each fabric. For a single bag, three half yards cover it, if two pieces are turned. As drawn, the collar needs 24.8 in and the bottom 20.1 in, both just over the half-yard line.

Why turning one piece saves a half yard

Many MYOG shops sell these fabrics in half-yard steps. X-Pac VX21 at Ripstop by the Roll, for example, came in 1/2 yd increments at 16.50 USD per half yard on 19 October 2026. A layout that needs 18.1 in then costs as much as one that needs 36 in.

Both collar pieces are 23.75 in long. Laid along the roll, two of them stack across the width and the length is set by 23.75 in plus margins: 24.8 in. Turned across the roll, the two pieces sit side by side over 47.5 in of the width and the length drops to 14.375 in plus margins: 15.7 in. That works on 54 in X-Pac as well as on 59 in.

The bottom panel behaves the same way on Cordura: 18.75 in along the roll needs 20.1 in, turned it needs 15.7 in.

Two layouts of the two X-Pac collar pieces on 59 inch fabric: 24.8 inches as drawn, 15.7 inches turned 90 degrees, with half-yard marks. — The two collar pieces on 59 in X-Pac. As drawn they cross the half-yard line; turned 90° they stay well inside it. Tap the image to see it full size.

Which way the fabric runs

The pattern marks no grainline on its pieces. Turning a piece 90° puts the weave of the face fabric across the bag instead of up and down. On a collar that rolls and a bottom panel that sits in a basket, that is mostly a question of looks. If you want the weave to run the same way on every panel, or the fabric has a print or camo that must stay upright, keep the pieces as drawn and buy the full yard.

In PatternNest the vertical direction of an imported drawing always runs along the selvage. "Keep angle (0/180°)" allows a half turn, "one-way (nap)" keeps every piece upright. Turning by 90° is a separate button per piece, so the plan never does it on its own.

More than one bag

One yard of 60 in Cordura holds the bottom and side panels for three bags: 29.9 in. Two bags fit in the same 20.1 in as one, because the second set sits beside the first across the width.

One yard of 59 in X-Pac holds the collars for two bags when the collar pieces are turned: 30.3 in. As drawn, one yard covers one bag.

Three layouts of the Cordura bottom and side panels on 60 inch fabric: one bag as drawn 20.1 inches, one bag with the bottom turned 15.7 inches, three bags as drawn 29.9 inches. — Bottom and side panels on 60 in Cordura: one bag as drawn, one bag with the bottom turned, and three bags in under a yard. Tap the image to see it full size.

What is left over

After one bag from a half yard, the Cordura and the lining each leave a piece of about 27 × 15 in beside the panels, plus a strip of about 2 in across the full width. That is enough for a pouch or a hip belt pocket. The X-Pac half yard leaves about 9.5 × 15 in beside the collar pieces on 59 in fabric, but only about 4.5 in on 54 in fabric.

Making the whole bag from one X-Pac takes 30.7 in of 59 in fabric with the collar and the bottom turned, so one yard, and the Cordura is not needed at all. The repository uses Cordura for the part that rubs on the basket.

Opening the DXF in PatternNest

Download wald137bag.dxf from the repository and import it. The file is drawn in inches; PatternNest reads the unit from the file.
Dimensions, the three text labels and the layout view are skipped and listed in the import notes. The seam lines on the layer "guides" drop out, three corner gaps of up to 0.9 mm between line ends are closed. Three pieces arrive: bottom, side and collar.
Set Qty from the labels in the drawing, which PatternNest does not read: bottom 1, side 2, collar 2.
Enter the fabric width, keep the fabric open, and turn the collar or bottom with "Turn 90°" if you want the half-yard layouts.
Click "Calculate layout" and export the plan as PDF, SVG or DXF.

Download and recalculate

The .pnest files hold the pieces and settings. Open one in PatternNest with "Open .pnest" and click "Calculate layout". The SVG files are the cutting layouts at 1:1 as PatternNest exports them.

Credits

Wald 137 basket bag pattern and instructions: Alex Broekhof, MIT licence. Layout calculation and article: Cayan / Madegrain.