My Berlin Bound Bag

In just a couple of weeks (yikes) the family and I are leaving for a month-long trip to Germany.  We'll be staying in a cute little apartment in an uber-hip section of Berlin (or so we've been told).  Although I'm excited for the trip, I'm not so excited for the plane ride -- it will be a very LONG ride with two small boys.  Thankfully, my two (mostly) grown up nieces are coming along so we'll get some help.

For the plane ride, I've got all sorts of activities and snacks to bring along.  This means, of course, that I need an extra big bag.  This is what I came up with:

This is a mash-up of some previous bags I've made, and I incorporated all the features of those other bags that I liked.  The main body is actually the pattern pieces of the lining from Amy Butler's Birdie Sling.  You can see my interpretation of the birdie sling here, here, and here.  I still use the mustard and pink one quite regularly, but the other two were destined for others.

The lining piece doesn't have those front pleats, which was exactly what I needed in order to incorporate a pocket on the outside.  The outside pocket was inspired by Keyka Lou's Cross Body Bag.  This is a great feature, very functional but cute.  Here's my version of the cross body bag -- it's just a little too small for my particular purpose.

Anyhow, I also changed up the strap from the birdie sling.  You can't tell from the picture, but the strap is fully adjustable and can be worn over one shoulder or cross-body style.  Even though I love my birdie sling, it always falls off my shoulder, and the strap is too short to wear comfortably across my chest (though I've tried).



I put a few magnetic clasps too, one for the outside pocket and two for the main compartment.  The other features that I've really come to like in bags is a zippered pocket -- the birdie sling only has two large patch pockets, which is nice, but I wanted something a little more secure. I did make one large patch pocket for small items. The other feature I've come to love are key fobs. I put one on the outside, and one on the inside, just for variety.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll all get there without too much drama.  It will be a trip of a lifetime, so well worth the effort to get there (I hope).


ADDENDUM (6/16): I just found out about the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts.  There are four categories: quilts, bags, clothing, and home decor.  Sounds like fun!

A New Bag For The Autumn

I needed a break from quilt squares, so I decided to make myself a new bag for "back-to-school." This Echino cotton-linen print has been in my stash waiting for just such a purpose.

Pocket detail.

I used a pattern by Keyka Lou, which you can find here.  As with all Keyka Lou patterns I've tried, this one was well-drafted with excellent instructions.  The only deviation from the pattern is that I made a faux-adjustable strap, using only a D-ring.  I couldn't find a one-inch buckle that would feed the thickness of the strap through twice (as required with an adjustable buckle).  Oh, I also included a little clip for keys, but I didn't take a photo of that. 

I'm completely in love with this bird motif.

This bag is actually different than what I normally carry.  I went practical this time, so I chose something not too big that I could wear cross-body. My favorite part of the bag is the curved pocket, with another one inside.  It's perfect for slipping in a cell phone or keys.

You can kinda see the D-ring in this picture.