charmed Liebling
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Messenger bag made of vinyl

5/3/2014

14 Comments

 
Hello friends!
As promised in my last blog post I would like to show you the new bag I made for my husband Chris. He actually sketched the design himself (!) and told me exactly what he wanted in terms of pockets, compartments and the shape of the bag.
charmed Liebling vinyl messenger bag
The fabric: I was pleasantly surprised that he actually picked something that is NOT black. Not that I don't like black but his wardrobe is dominated by black and the last bag I made for him was black and I just find black fabric incredibly boring and difficult to work with - have you ever tried to sew black fabric in the evening without natural light? Not fun at all...
So, he picked a dark brown vinyl for the exterior and matched it with a cotton fabric for the lining.
As for sewing the vinyl: I have to say it was easier than I thought and I didn't have any problems with the fabric at all. I used a leather needle (14/90) and Coats & Clark Extra Strong Nylon Thread. And yes, this thread IS strong: at some point this thick thread cut into the plastic of my sewing machine and I will have to get it fixed soon since it is not working properly any more... I suppose this project was a little bit too ambitious for my poor machine after all (I have to admit I still sew on a pretty simple model - maybe it is just time to upgrade?).
charmed Liebling vinyl messenge bag
charmed Liebling vinyl messenger bag zip pocket
There is a zip pocket on the back of the bag which I extra sewed in a way that the cotton fabric used for the pocket pieces would show a bit. It kind of looks like piping and again I was so surprised how easy it was to sew the zipper into the vinyl!
charmed Liebling vinyl messenger bag flap


As you can see Chris wanted an asymmetric shape for the flap. The funny thing is that he is still convinced that he came up with this feature even though I am pretty sure he "copied" the flap of my Rose Petal Bag, haha! Oh, well, I let him have his moment :) The strip of lining fabric on top of the flap was my idea and he liked it, since it brings a little diversion to the exterior which otherwise would only be dark brown.
I think it looks really funny when the flap is up to see the positioning of the magnetic snap closures.

charmed Liebling vinyl messenger bag interior

Inside there are several compartments:
There is a divider in the center of the bag. It is the first time I made a divider that reaches across the whole width of the bag and is attached to the sides and the bottom panel (meaning the two parts of the bag are entirely seperated and there is no opening at the bottom like you would sometimes find it with dividers in sewing patterns).
The divider is padded with Annie's Soft and Stable to protect a MacBook.
On the one side of the divider I added two slip pockets. These are the perfect size to hold a notepad and a NOOK.
I also added three pen holders and two compartments for a bunch of business cards, Chris' and mine - he always carries my business cards around and passes them on to people whenever he can. I find that very sweet of him.

charmed Liebling Chris with his bag

That is Chris carrying his new bag. He did not want me to show his face :( He's usually never shy like that but oh well.. I respect his wish for privacy of course. At least you can see the proportions of the bag.

I hope you like this bag. Chris took it to a business trip to Germany and told me that he is getting a lot of compliments for it. I don't know if he is making this up but I am happy that he is enjoying it so much. He has always been so supportive of my business and I like the fact that he comes to me when he wants a new bag or wallet :)



I may turn this bag into a sewing pattern some time soon. Would you be interested in a pattern for this bag? Do you have other features that would be important to you for this kind of office/messenger/laptop bag? Just let me know and I'd be happy to include this in my design.

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!
Bild
14 Comments
Daphne
5/3/2014 03:35:32 am

Ok, I love this bag, but for reasons that aren't going to make it into a pattern. One: the outside looks like leather, but you say it's (less expensive vinyl). Second: the inside material is gorgeous. Can't tell what it is, but I love the old paper look.

BUT... I would probably buy this pattern just for the fact that it has a padded container thingy that could fit a Macbook. I need a new work bag and that's the one thing it definitely needs. :-)

Reply
Anna
5/4/2014 03:35:16 am

Thanks for your lovely comment Daphne! I like the look of the cotton fabric too, and it goes so well with the vinyl. Stay tuned, the pattern for this bag will be coming up soonish :)

Reply
Sheila link
5/3/2014 04:12:11 am

Love this bag like the faux leather and the fabric plus all the pockets. Would be good if the divider was made into a zip pocket to put a tablet in still padded then there would still be pockets either side.

Reply
Anna
5/4/2014 03:36:45 am

Great idea Sheila! I'll look into it!

Reply
Ruth link
5/3/2014 08:42:02 am

Hi, Anna, this is a gorgeous and stylish bag as ever! I am much intrigued by the fully sewn-in divider :-)

Reply
Anna
5/4/2014 03:37:59 am

Thanks Ruth! I like the divider too, first time I made one like this. And it wasn't even that difficult :)

Reply
Georgia Anderson
5/3/2014 10:19:30 am

Love the flap, whichever one of you came up with it! Great bag.

Reply
Anna
5/4/2014 03:40:37 am

Thanks Georgia. Well, you know, I am pretty sure it was Chris who had that fabulous idea (wink wink) .... :-P

Reply
Tonya
5/3/2014 11:26:38 am

What a great bag!!! I can see so many different uses for this one.

Reply
Anna
5/4/2014 03:42:53 am

It is a very versatile bag, I agree! I kind of wish I could have kept it for myself :)

Reply
Lorena link
5/3/2014 07:11:21 pm

I love, It's so stylish. I can't wait to see the pattern and make one for my hubby. And maybe make one smaller to carry the Ipad only ;)

Reply
Anna
5/4/2014 03:45:43 am

Thanks for your nice comment Lorena! That's a great idea to make a smaller version for a tablet. I am going to start working on the pattern soon so stay tuned :)

Reply
Rochelle Price link
5/9/2014 02:31:20 pm

Is the back pocket with the zipper big enough to hold a passport and a boarding pass? Maybe also there could be a way to manage charger cords and all the tangle they make? I will definitely be on the look out for the pattern!

Reply
Anna
5/16/2014 01:38:01 am

Thanks for your comment Rochelle! Yes, the back zipper pocket would definitely be large enough to fit a passport and boarding pass in it (it measures approx. 8" x 9"). Thanks also for the tip with the cords of all the electronics! I will definitely think about this :)

Reply



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    anna's blog -

    Welcome to my blog! I am an accountant who once started out her "career" in the US by designing bag and wallet sewing  patterns! My patterns are available on Etsy and occasionally I will share some of my sewing projects that I work on in my spare free time on my website.  Happy sewing :)

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