Well this took over 2 months to make with rather a lot of time when I wasn't up to sewing but it's finally here.
It's a sling bag style (
Retro Sling by Kandou Patterns) for my cat lady DGD to use at uni to carry her MS Surface, Kindle, notepad and other stuff. She likes something a bit smaller and sleeker than a full backpack and loved the pretty fabric I used for her mum's bag so hopefully those things met each other succcesfully here.
There were three distinct areas of change from the pattern which was perhaps a bit adventurous for such a complex bag (my third bag but only second pattern) so I suspect being ill and having more time to surf/ponder/plan proved very useful.
1] A fair bit extra width & height to get the mini laptop in. It changed the proportions to get the bulk of extra space in the centre and extra zip length for access but hopefully it's not lost the original vibe entirely.
2] Another clone of this style had two zipped compartments which I liked but the finish of the samples wasn't the best and I often have printing issues with non UK patterns so I decided I'd draft my own onto the simpler Retro Sling. I couldn't find any tutorials that covered the construction technique on that extra zipped compartment so I used my non-sewing time to work out the construction so the main compartment stuck with a bound finish inside (for extra support and very much easier to turn out) while the front compartments and flap were birthed through the zipper pocket.
3] The sling strap/backpack strap conversion has worked so nicely - I'm really pleased with that. I stole the idea from my lovely Italian leather mini sling/backpack which I've shamelessly used and abused and one of the main reasons I decided to take up bag making properly. I doubt I'll get to that until I've made a few more things for other people though.
Some pictures of the inside with a variety of pockets. The wooden block is my compact clapper just to keep the bag open while taking the shot. They'll lie flatter after the bag has been stuffed for a few days to open up the seams fully - can't do too much pressing of the outer fabric.
Main compartment, foam padded back and laptop pocket. I hacked on a last minute little 'catcher' pocket for accidental ink marks below the pen loops. Fingers crossed it works. DH surprised me by suggesting I used the fold-over elastic from the mesh pockets for the binding when I admitted I was rather dreading it and it worked brilliantly. We'll see how it stands up to use but not too bad to replace if necessary.
Middle compartment, mesh pocket for Kindle opposite zipped pocket containing 6 card slots.
Front flap
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