So it was when I was student teaching and riding my bike to school that I realized I needed a backpack (my usual shoulder and messenger bags kept sliding in front of me, throwing off my balance and too often hitting my knees as I pedaled). Since I never spend money if I don't have too, and since I
have this little habit of making bags, I figured I'd go for it and attempt to make a back-pack. So it took an XL pair of green dickies and some spare scraps of upholstery fabric to do, but it was actually quite simple. The body of the bag is a tube of fabric from the pant legs; add a rectangular bottom and elongated top flap and the bag part was done. I didn't have any access to zippers, buttons or snaps at this point (I was mostly living out of a suitcase) so I just put in ties. The ties are rectangles of the pants folded twice and sewn into strips and then sewn opposite each other on the front and back of the top hem. The straps (not adjustable) are actually 3 layers of fabric covered in the upholstery textile just to make them more cushy and durable. Favorite part: the pocket. I cut the pocket right off the pants and resewed it right along the original stitches so it looks like it's meant to be there. I really love this bag. It's green.
So it was when I was student teaching and riding my bike to school that I realized I needed a backpack (my usual shoulder and messenger bags kept sliding in front of me, throwing off my balance and too often hitting my knees as I pedaled). Since I never spend money if I don't have too, and since I 
have this little habit of making bags, I figured I'd go for it and attempt to make a back-pack. So it took an XL pair of green dickies and some spare scraps of upholstery fabric to do, but it was actually quite simple. The body of the bag is a tube of fabric from the pant legs; add a rectangular bottom and elongated top flap and the bag part was done. I didn't have any access to zippers, buttons or snaps at this point (I was mostly living out of a suitcase) so I just put in ties. The ties are rectangles of the pants folded twice and sewn into strips and then sewn opposite each other on the front and back of the top hem. The straps (not adjustable) are actually 3 layers of fabric covered in the upholstery textile just to make them more cushy and durable. Favorite part: the pocket. I cut the pocket right off the pants and resewed it right along the original stitches so it looks like it's meant to be there. I really love this bag. It's green.
This is sooo cool. It's a testiment to your creative spirit that you could make this living out of a suitcase. I couldn't make this living out of a Project Runway Sewing studio. You are my mother of invention ;)
ReplyDelete