Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Little Things to Sew - Backpack

It's DONE!! Barely. I actually finished it about 5 minutes before Mommy arrived to pick up Courtney this afternoon. And then I still had to take pictures, so being in a hurry, the quality of the pics leaves a lot to be desired. Oh, well... you'll get the idea. ;)

It's a backpack for Courtney! The pattern was from the Little Things to Sew book that I'd gotten last spring. Here's how it turned out:


Since Courtney's no longer a toddler, I enlarged the pattern, adding 3" to the height and 2" to the width. I interfaced all the outside pieces with fleece interfacing, which I fused on by topping it with fusible woven interfacing. The interfacings gave a nice, firmly-cushy body to the bag. There is fleece in the straps to pad them. And obviously, I added piping. I love piping! I think it adds a lot to the looks of a bag, and it's so EASY to do!



I changed the way the straps were fastened on. The pattern called for them to be sewed on at the bottom of the yoke, but I didn't know if that would then make the top of the bag ride too high and bug her in the neck, so I opted to sew them on at the top of the backpack. I think that was a good decision, seeing how it fits on her back (photos below).



The fabrics for the outside and lining are "Beads", from Jess's Amusement Park collection. Because of all the white, I chose to use a solid green for the sides/bottom piece, because I figured that's what would catch the most dirt. I ScotchGarded it, too. But hopefully it'll wash up nicely if necessary.


There's a pocket inside. Note that the lining matches the flower on the front pocket:



The pattern and instructions were easy to follow. If I hadn't done all my "embellishments", it wouldn't have taken me so long to make. Also, if I hadn't made a major booboo, it would've taken less time yet! When I enlarged everything, I was so careful to make sure I did all the pieces so it would fit together right. But though I added the extra width to the bottom and zipper pieces, I forgot to account for them also being the sides, and I didn't add the additional 3" needed there. Aargh! I discovered this late yesterday afternoon as I was about to sew the front and back pieces to the sides. Frustrating but fixable. I cut extra pieces for each side, interfaced them, and then spliced them in. It really doesn't look bad at all. You can't see the seams in the photos, but I topstitched them, and they sort of look like pockets. Anyway, live and learn!


The best part of it all is that Courtney is THRILLED with it! She couldn't wait to get it home and load it up with her 'stuff' to take to Kindergarten Connection tomorrow. Her happiness with it made it all worthwhile for me to make, even with the frustrations. :)



I did manage to corral her long enough for some actual poses standing still. ;)




I also got it done in time for the Oliver + S Sew-along (thanks to the week's grace period) at a little gray's blog.


Now on to the next sew-along project (after I do a little catching up on other things first)!

19 comments:

LiEr said...

Very nice! And the solid green bits are the perfect mix with the printed fabric (which I noticed you also perfectly centered - wink wink!) And seeing how the bag sits on her shoulders, you made the right decision to sew the straps to the top of the bag, and not the bottom of the yoke. The yoke, though, is a very nice contrast detail!

Btw, you win. My own bag is still all over the sewing room floor. You are one fast (and skilled) bagmakerseamstress!

Live a Colorful Life said...

That backpack is amazing! I'm super impressed with all the extras. What a fun lining. And the embellishments! Awesome. (Super cute model, as well!!)

Live a Colorful Life said...

You know, I have thought of purchasing that book. Should I? Are you going to continue on and make some more things from it?

Jessica Jones said...

Yay!!!!! So cute! And it looks adorable on your model.

BTW, why is she wearing shorts? Is it hot there??

JHNickodemus said...

Oh oh oh! That is so so so cute! (And in my favorite colors doncha know.)

Auntie Kris said...

LOVE the backpack! What a fun project. She'll never have to worry about her backpack getting mixed up with someone else in school.

Olivia said...

It's so cute!

Rebecca said...

You did a fantastic job!

Alex said...

Very cute. Wish I had a customed designed backpack when I was little!

Grandma G said...

Thank you, everyone!!

Cindy said...

The backpack looks great! I love the piping and the zippered pocket on the front.

Meryl said...

I love that this is girly without being overly precious--so cute!

The Luedtke Family said...

Incredibly sewn and extremely adorable! She will have Grandma watching over her shoulders every day at school!

Grandma G said...

Thank you all! Your comments make it all the more fun!

Jessica said...

Great fabrics, and I HAVE to add piping next time!

michelle said...

Love the fabric choice! Beautifully made!

Grandma G said...

Thank you! And yes, piping adds so much!

SarahB said...

What a great backpack! I love the prints!

Your ideas of interfacing the pieces and padding the straps are really smart. And I love the zipper pocket and the contrast side panel!

Grandma G said...

Thanks, Sarah! I figured it should be a little sturdier, since it would actually be used for going to school. The padded straps were an idea borrowed from a friend. ;)