Striped Diaper Bag (image heavy)

[onetomatotwo]

It's merely a humble diaper bag. But I am pretty proud of it, so I'm posting. This was my first foray into diaper bag-making (I've made other bags -- just not a diaper bag) and I think it came out really well. This was made for a personal swap with TheBon (This bag is for a friend of hers. In exchange, she is making me some beautiful yarn!) and we'll post in the personal swap gallery when we actually complete the swap, but in the meantime... I gotta show it off!

First, the photos:



Interior shot... this was hard to take, but there are a bunch of pockets in there... basically, all the way around. Also, this fabric does match the other -- I promise!



Here you can see a better shot of the fabrics matching... see the yellow? See the orange? Matching! This is a key (or pacifier) holder that actually goes inside of the bag, but I pulled it out for this photo to show it off:



Here's a close-up of the flapped pocket on the side. This thing was a bear -- I've never done one of these before, but the pattern was good and I think it came out pretty well. The only drawback was that there was a bit of hand-sewing here, which I hate. But it was only a measly 3", so I sucked it up and did it (well, I did whine a bit first):



And the other side of the bag has a gathered pocked with elastic around the top. Good for mobile phones or other easy-access stuff you want on the outside of a bag:



Now, the technical details:

I used a commercial pattern: Butterick 4560. I used View A and the only modification I made was to leave off the adjustable pad that goes on the strap. I found the strap to be cushy enough without it and, besides, I kept messing that part up. It was fiddly and a royal pain in the neck. So it's gone. Oh, and the pattern instructs you to sew two pieces together to make the strap length, but I had enough fabric that I ended up cutting it from one piece, which was nice and I would recommend if you can.

TheBon picked out the exterior fabric from Tonic Living (great site -- check it out!) and the pattern is Farrow, Fiesta. This company has fantastic customer service and sent me a sample of the fabric for free, even though they're in Canada and I'm in the US. Also, despite having to cross the border, the shipping was reasonably priced and quite speedy (I got my fabric in a week).

The interior fabric is something I stumbled on in a local fabric shop here -- it's a high-quality cotton, but I don't have the info on it. If you're dying for it, I might be able to track down some info. Even though it doesn't look like it in the photos, the fabrics match beautifully.

The pattern calls for fusible fleece for the interfacing. It's the first time I've used it and a really liked it. It made the bag sturdy, but still soft. I'll be using that again. Also, the bottom has a piece of plastic canvas in it (also called for in the pattern).

Thanks for looking!

edited to add: Those folks at Tonic Living are great! They're offering a 10% discount for everyone who reads this post. Use the coupon code CRAFTSTER. Sweet, eh?

[TheBon]

I am so excited that it should be arriving here soon. It will be going to the same friend that my Trellis sweater is going to. She knew that I was going to knit a sweater, so I wanted to come up with something that was a surprise! The fabric choice Kaesea made for the lining is great, and the outer bag fabric was chosen because my friend loves green and orange and bought a striped boppy pillow in similar colors. I'm super excited to deliver these gifts to her [and for the baby to come!]

[stellato_escuro]

I may have to keep you mind when I have a baby. Which is a million years away, but it never hurts to look. You did such an amazing and professional job, I love it.

[refuse2bdefined]

Very cute! Looks great and sturdy! The pockets look great too. Where did you find your key latch? I like its finish.

[Lesa25]

Cute great job loving the strips:)

[DayTripper]

Nice bag!

-Day

[onetomatotwo]

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. 

Where did you find your key latch? I like its finish.

Thanks! I like it too! Way better than the shinier ones I saw at Joann's.

I got it the same fabric shop where I found the lining. It's Poppy Fabrics in Oakland CA. It doesn't look like they have an online store, but I notice that you're also in Northern California, so if you ever make it down this way, check them out (the place is awesome -- they have beautiful fabrics, but also tons of trims, notions, etc. that I have never seen before).

When I go home tonight, I'll see if I still have the packaging -- if so, you might be able to order it online.

[blonenomore]

Love your bag!  I esp like the lining fabric!

[onetomatotwo]

Where did you find your key latch? I like its finish.

All right! Got the info here... it's from Clover and the finish is "Antique Gold." The size I got was 3/4" but it comes in other sizes.  You can order this one from Clover here or you can see their other sizes and styles here. It's called a "swivel ring," if you need/want to search for it. Good luck!

[mickim88]

I agree with the great idea of adding the key latch!  It makes things "oh so handy" when you're holding a baby and fumbling for your keys!
The bag came out great and you can never have enough pockets!  Great job!

[CraftMomNancy]

You did a awesome job.I'm sure she will like it. I bought that pattern last Winter and started a bag but I wanted it smaller so made lots of changes ,now it still not down. I'm such a procrastinator even on things I like to do.
Nancy

[nghna7t]

I have that pattern, was it difficult?  I'm not the best, still learning, but I would like to be able to make it for a friend.

Where did you find the fleece stuff?

[TheBon]

The bag just magically appeared at my door and I have to say, it is way more fantastic than it looks in the photos! I totally wish that I could keep it, but I guess I'll just have to wait until I have my own babies.

[onetomatotwo]

I have that pattern, was it difficult? 

It wasn't "difficult," but it was time-consuming -- there are 71 steps, if that tells you anything. Also, I'm useless at cutting around pattern pieces, so this is what I did to make it easier for me: since most of the pieces are rectangles (except for the front flap and the pocket flap), I measured each of the pieces and wrote down the measurements. Then, I used my omnigrid ruler and rotary cutter to cut perfect rectangles. I understand these are tools that not everyone has (I'm a quilter) but they really do rock for cutting perfect squares and rectangles, especially if you're like me and have a hard time cutting a straight line.

However, my difficult in cutting straight lines is not shared by everyone, so this might be easy for you.

Okay... after I got the pieces cut, then I just went through the steps, very carefully. I would recommend reading the pattern ahead of time, slowly. I got overwhelmed several times when I first got it, but by taking deep breaths and reading it carefully, I figured it out.

However, I just remembered one other change I made to the pattern. They didn't have me adding the velcro inside of the flap until the last step. This would have made the velcro sew lines visible on the exterior of the flap, which I didn't want (and is not how it looks in the picture on the pattern). So I sewed the velcro to the flap lining before sewing the flap together. That way, the velcro sewing lines are hidden between the flap lining and the exterior of the flap -- does that make sense at all?

The one tricky part for me was the hand-sewn slipstitch on the flap of the side pocket, but that's only for a couple of inches and ends up being nearly invisible. Plus, I understand that not everyone hates hand sewing as much as I do. 

Also, it's kind of tricky using that thick, thick fabric (the fabric I used was a sailcloth, which is thick on its own, but with the fusible fleece on it, it's very thick). In fact... I used a walking foot, which is a foot used for quilting because it feeds the fabric evenly on the top and bottom. I don't know if it was necessary, but I think it helped a lot, especially on the parts that were quite thick.

I hope my verbosity has not scared you away. Even without the fancy tools, I think that a beginner could get through this pattern by being careful and taking it slow. As my friend pointed out, "It's basically a messenger bag with a lot of pockets." There are some great tutorials on craftster for making basic messenger bags, so you might want to look at those, as well.

Where did you find the fleece stuff?

Joann fabrics. It comes in a package and it was with... notions, I guess. Near the velcro and whatnot. It's made by Pellon. I think you can also buy it by the yard, but the package was the size called for in the pattern, so that's what I got. If you can't find it at your local fabric store, just ask -- they'll probably have it.

Edited to add: Oh, YAY! While I was typing this (rather long -- sorry!) response, TheBon posted her response. I am SO glad it came today! And I'm glad you like it!!

[GirlyGirlBags]

That is an absolutely gorgeous bag!!  Very very professionally done!! I love how the stripes match with the polka dots! 


 You have inspired me, I am so going out and buying that pattern now!

[Madmatigan79]

Just had to add mine to the sea of voices - that bag is flippin' sweet! It has all the functions a good diaper bag should but still looks very stylish and...well...UN-diaper bag-ish.

[nghna7t]

Thank you so much for answering my post.  I'm still scared, but somewhat encouraged.  I'm not good with patterns - maybe I"ll start with a messanger bag and move on from there.

Thank you!!

[Emmalou]

I may have to pick up this pattern.  A friend of mine just annouced she was pregnant, and I know she's love a bag in an a-typical fabric.  Nicely done, you inspired me!

[TheBon]

Turns out I'll be delivering the bag on Sunday, so I'll let you know what the brand-new mama says when she gets it! I'm sure she's going to love it.

[onetomatotwo]

That is an absolutely gorgeous bag!!  Very very professionally done!!

Coming from you, this is a huge compliment -- you make such beautiful bags!!

I'm not good with patterns - maybe I"ll start with a messanger bag and move on from there.

This is a great idea -- I just recently made my first messenger bag using this great tutorial by gloriana and it really helped with understanding the construction of the diaper bag.

You have inspired me, I am so going out and buying that pattern now!

Nicely done, you inspired me!

This gave me a warm fuzzy feeling! I am so inspired by all of the projects I see on craftster, so it's nice to be able to give a little something back with the inspiration.

I'll let you know what the brand-new mama says when she gets it!

Yay! Baby! Just in time for a new sweater and diaper bag! (Crafting for babies is fun!)

[onetomatotwo]

Hey -- Remember when I told you that site Tonic Living was cool? (That's where I got the fabric for this bag). They totally ARE. I emailed them to tell them how much I liked the fabric and sent a link to this post.

As a result, they are offering a 10% discount for any purchase in their store. Use the code CRAFTSTER when you order! Cool, eh?

[Beantown]

I love this bag!  I just made one but it's not nearly as nice as yours.  Great craftsmanship!

[Madmatigan79]

Hey -- Remember when I told you that site Tonic Living was cool? (That's where I got the fabric for this bag). They totally ARE. I emailed them to tell them how much I liked the fabric and sent a link to this post.

As a result, they are offering a 10% discount for any purchase in their store. Use the code CRAFTSTER when you order! Cool, eh?

I just placed an order with Tonic Living and got 10% off! Whee! Thanks, Kaesea, for giving us the heads up on this company! The fabrics that they carry are AMAZING!!

[runnermom100863]

This is SOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!  And so very professionally done!!  Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous!!!

[Alifalls]

That turned out really well.  The Fabrics are rad and they match veryy wwell:)

[isleofyou]

i think i've seen that interior fabric you used on reprodepot.com or at least something similar to it