Today I am showing you my version of the Retro Rucksack as part of the Inspiration Tour. The Retro Rucksack is a pattern by Radiant Home Studio and you can find it here.
I sew mostly for my kids - and I love it! - but lately I have been craving to sew a different kind of projects. Lucky me, I was invited for this tour and I got to test another bag's pattern and a sweet fabric doll pattern. It felt great! I can tell you I have more non-clothing sewing projects to come in the near future! Maybe even a few free patterns... ;)
Well, back to the Retro Rucksack. As I am not used to sew bags this one was a bit of a challenge - and you already know how I love challenges! (Check my last post!) Although the existing instructions are clear I had to give some thought on a few intermediate steps - my mind was just not being able to follow through (oh well, maybe sewing at 2am didn't help... lol) -, but then it clicked and I got it done! And I have to say I am very pleased with the result! It is a great pattern and although it is not a quick sew it is worth the time spent.
Fabric and materials
I used a floral twill (that I had bought a few weeks ago to make a skirt or some shorts) and a rusty pink thin wale corduroy to match one of the floral tones. For the inside I have used a woven cotton on the same rusty pink tone. The straps are borwn poly webbing - my local haberdashery did not have any cotton webbing and this was the only color they had at the moment, it is not perfect but I ended up liking it.
The hardware for the bag was partially found on a local haberdashery and I also reused some from an old bag that was already set aside to go to the trash bin. I love when I can reuse things! And I learned to save all the hardware from old bags before I tossed them out. Nevertheless, Sara provides a lot of suggestions on different hardware that can be used and she also suggests some online stores where the hardware can easily be found.
Things I would change next time
And because I always love to tweak the pattern, next time I will make a few things differently. :) I will raise the placement of the inside zipper pocket and I will enclose the zipper seam / raw edges so they don't show when I open the bag (I can think of at least two ways of doing it).
Things I love
I am a bit OC about organization and I am tired of using bags where my stuff gets lost inside and I have to empty it to find my door keys... (You know what I mean, right? :) ) So, I love all the pockets in this pattern!
The recessed zipper adds a lovely different look to this rucksack and makes sure everything stays safely inside!
The inside patch pocket is big enough and sturdy enough (it is interfaced) to carry my netbook or a tablet. I can even imagine it as a DSLR camera pocket with the proper tweaking!
And I just love the vintage feel on this rucksack!
I have been amazed by what other people in this inspiration tour came up with! It is so much fun to see how many different fabrics one can use to make this and how they change the look of it. The one I love the most so far is this one made with knit! (Yes, knit! Isn't that genious? Tasha is one of the best, I just love everything she does!)
This bag had already lots of use since I made it (last weekend) on our outings to the beach this week! (Hello Summer! Living 15 minutes away from the beach is such a blessing!)
Make sure to follow the Retro Rucksack Inspiration tour to be inspired by some awesome projects!
O saco é lindo!
ReplyDeleteAlém do modelo ser muito giro e moderno, como eu gosto, escolheste tão bem os tecidos para este projecto!
Ó Sara, vou ser sincera ainda nem li o post, mas deixa-me dizer-te que fiquei ENCANTADA com as tuas fotos. A mala está girissíma, mais uma vez, adorei a tua escolha de tecidos, as cores... o modelo tb me parece interessante, há muito que quero fazer uma mala para mim, mas vou sempre adiando por não ser uma prioridade. E agr vou ler o post...lol
ReplyDeleteBeautiful color and pattern! The rucksack looks feminine and pretty, especially with all those lovely flowers in your photos!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Sara. Mega-impressed how those pockets line up perfectly with the contrast section. This would also be perfect for heading into autumn. Love it! x
ReplyDeleteLove that fabric combo!! Great job!! I think I'll have to make a bag soon with all this tempting inspiration!! ;)
ReplyDeleteAww, you are too sweet! I loooove your floral rucksack. Man, I want to put floral everywhere--even on my son!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful fabric and love the colours. It's been great seeing everyone's version of the Retro Rucksack.
ReplyDeleteI like the corduroy!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm so behind here....but I just wanted to say I love the bag and yes, that totally looks like those flowers ;-)) They are so beautiful and perfect for the photos!
ReplyDeleteI've really been enjoying my Retro Rucksack! I'm now just finally finding time to go back and check out all the other bags made on the tour! I tweeked my design slightly, too, but I almost always make some sort of modification (sometimes not by choice!). Lovely fabrics.
ReplyDelete