16 August 2016

Green backpack


This is a jacket I have used over an over to the point that it was threadbare. I still loved the fabric so I decided to take it apart to see if anything could be salvaged.

The reverse of the fabric was perfectly fine and I decided to make a bag/backpack. I had seen some around and decided to use them as inspiration and make my own.









It is a very simple design: bottom + 2 sides. The 2 sides are shaped so that the resulting bag looks like a wedge. This makes it easy to fold when used “messenger style” and looks somewhat elegant when carried as a backpack.

I have used the jacket lining to line the inside of the bag,

I am happy with the result from a merely aesthetic viewpoint but it is not the workhorse of bags that I had envisioned. It is a tad too small.
While creating the paper templates the bag looked big enough. I had designed it so that it would fit my camera.  The problem is that once the camera is in the bag there is little space for anything else.
I could have done it bigger but that would have meant using the body of the jacket rather than the sleeves only. And I could not resist the temptation of saving fabric for another project.
I have been looking to make a Mary Poppins type bag for ages and I have been imagining it made with this green fabric.