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.
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.
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?).
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?).
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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!
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.
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.
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!
I hope you all have a lovely Sunday!
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