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| Crossbody sling bag successfully remade! |
Let me say that I was unusually "in the zone" — as the saying goes — the week I made this. Most times, when I choose a project, it's a case of "okay, that's something I can do"... like it's a good way to pass the time. Not to say that I don't always aim to put my best effort forward, but it's particularly rewarding when high levels of enthusiasm and creativity intersect to produce the exact results that I'm looking for.
Not only that, it just plain feels good to have this bag completed after years of seeing the fabric on a regular basis, reminding me of what I still hadn't done. (Although it's not as if I hadn't used the fabric at all; it's featured on my toiletry bag.)
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| A tale of two sling bags... |
While I like it in its original Hawaiian hibiscus print, this maple leaf version gives me an extra buzz because its my own fabric.
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| For an idea of scale... |
The bag can be "worn" — I always find it odd to use the verb wear when it comes to bags — over the shoulder, across the body, or flipped against the back with the strap over the chest, depending on circumstances. Although this strap here is adjustable, I don't find myself needing to change it.
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| Full length front view... |
Would it surprise you that I added the ribbon across the flap pocket because I had two triangular pieces of the maple leaf fabric that were almost a perfect fit along the top and bottom of the ribbon to form the front panel? (Boy that's a long sentence!) Never one to miss an opportunity to put scraps to use, it turned out to be a good move, creating a contrasting focal point.
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| Full length back view... |
I fused some Decor Bond to the back of the ribbon and sewed it along the edges on top of the two pieces of fabric, after fitting everything to my template. The resulting piece was then cut in two, 2.5" from the top edge, to allow for the zipper placement.
[I should mention that whether you use a sturdy fabric like twill or just a quilting cotton backed with interfacing, do not hesitate to use up scraps regardless of their orientation — i.e., direction with respect to grain line — because this is not an item of clothing. The pieces are relatively small and you should have no issues sewing them together, whether they're cut on the bias, along the selvage or across the width.]
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| A bit of Canadian bling... |
I can't resist adding a bit of bling to every bag that I make. This key chain was the perfect match.
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| My shopping cart token, hanging from a swivel hook that was sewn into the upper strap end... |
At the other end, this swivel snap hook — from which my PC Children's Charity cart token hangs — was from my very first bag making hardware purchase; they were needed for my two Bellas.
As you can see, it's sewn right into the top end of the fabric strap and can be flipped to hang from the front or the back, since the black webbing strap is removable. (I don't remember where my webbing strap originally came from, but it's been set aside for this project for some time now.)
The hook can also be used to hang a pair of sunglasses or one of my lip balm carriers when needed.
For all the different pockets that you can make, sometimes you just can't beat the convenience of a simple slip pocket.
From using the original sling bag for a few months, I often found myself shoving my shopping list and receipts into my jacket pocket, because it was easy to do. (Of course, our subpar weather this summer — apart from the immediate past two weeks — has ensured that I am usually wearing a jacket, which is depressing in itself.)
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| This is the basic slip pocket that was added to the back of the bag... |
The addition of this full width slip pocket along the back was the last change that I made, and probably the second most significant. Although the interior is fully accessible from side to side, I stitched closed a portion of the top left and right edges to minimize gaping. (One can also add some velcro too.)
For those looking for construction hints, the position of this pocket on the back corresponds to how the pieces are seamed for the front. (Easy, peasy, no need for extra pattern piecies... ha, ha.)
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| Zippered pocket to keep my vehicle's key fob safe... |
Since I'm not always using this bag, I need to be able to find my car key fob quickly. It has its own home in this little zippered pocket.
Speaking of lining, I used a light weight rip stop nylon throughout. I originally purchased it (online) for use as a potential bag exterior, but when it arrived, it was clearly not substantial enough. While still possessing the properties of being strong and mostly waterproof, it's quite thin, so it actually makes an excellent lining... apart from the crinkling noise! (I wonder if that will go away with use?)
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| Front zippered pocket that can accommodate larger cell phones than mine... |
My phone also has a new home in the front flap pocket; the 6.5" width ensures that the majority of today's smart phones will fit.
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| Opening into the bag's main compartment... |
As I indicated in my previous post, I downsized the main compartment of this bag in the remake. I would estimate it's about half as big as the original in terms of overall capacity.
By the way, who would have thought that a project pouch could be so useful?? (I also use it as a "newspaper and flyer" bag when I head out onto the back deck to read.)
Since I usually cut my fabrics at the kitchen counter, I have to lug my stuff back and forth upstairs. Obviously, before I had this, I managed just fine without losing my way or my materials, but it was very convenient to have everything packed up into a tidy pouch.
My supply of binding, fabric and rip stop nylon was kept inside the whole time, which was handy since — for this project — I had to cut pieces on the go.
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| First use for my new project pouch! |
But here's the super ironic part... I had both pieces of hook and loop tape cut out, but somehow lost the other piece after sewing the first one onto the back of the flap pocket. Nowhere to be found and certainly not in my project pouch. Go figure. (Weeks later, the errant piece still hasn't made an appearance.)
My favourite part of this bag is the first change that I decided to make: creating usefulness out of the velcro'd flap pocket. The original bag's flap had nothing underneath. I thought it was an ideal place to hide a couple of card slots and a receipt pocket.
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| The best feature of all... card slots and receipt pocket under the front flap! |
The width of this pocket is 7.5", which is exactly the width of three strips of ribbon laid side by side. It was an easy decision to use ribbon instead of the main fabric underneath.
Are you ready to tackle this project on your own? As I hinted at last week, this is going to be offered as "pattern only"; i.e., there won't be an accompanying tutorial. It's a prospect that might scare some, but energize others; I'm hoping for more cases of the latter.
The paid version of the pattern is in my Makerist shop as of today. The free version will be available exclusively via a link from next Saturday's blog post.
Why am I making you wait yet another week? Well, if you remember from the last post, I spoke about the whole "patience, planning and plenty of note taking" process. While you have no way of touching and feeling the actual bag, maybe with the help of the photos above, you can start taking it apart mentally and making notes for how you'll put it back together.
Doable? I think so, and we shall soon see!
'Til next...
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