I like to make totes and backpacks from wide wale corduroy, and like the thin wale for clothing.
The material really wears well if washed first and dried hot (like jeans) so it felts up a bit - stops some of the fraying.
That said, sew the weight bearing items with french seams (completely covered raw edges). You will find the material wears like denim.
Love the stuff and haven't seen much of it in Joann's lately in our area (Bay Area of California). Now that cordless corduroy has come out (aka cotton velveteen) it gets used in a lot of locations in place of velvet.