Made by Sara: bags

This is the Senna tote, pattern by LBG studio for Willow & Co.
You can find it here and read more about it here.

This was the first (big) bag/tote I have ever made and I love LOVE it!
It was a breeze to sew it up! The instructions are very clear and easy to follow.
I love all the pockets - one at the front, one (huge one) at the back and an inner pocket (which is divided).

I have used a very lightweight floral print denim and red twill for the bottom piece.
Next time I think I will make the straps just a tad bit longer but it is perfect as it is!

The Willow & Co. ladies are running an amazing contest with awesome prize packages!! Go make something with a Willow & Co. pattern and link up here (until Sep 1st) for a chance to win!

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!)