Sewing the Amy Butler Weekender Travel Bag - Part Two (Done!)
Tuesday, July 08, 2014I had a marathon sewing week and finished off the weekender bag! Ta da!
I wanted this bag to be fun and one of those "everything in its place" bags. There should be space for nappies and baby wipes and at least two changes of baby clothes. There should be space for blankets and muslins and a hangy thing for keys so you don't lose them.
And it is. Everything fits. I added a tag to attach my keys to (I'll add a carabiner clip later) and the interior pockets are super.
It's so big that you can fit an entire pack of nappies at the bottom of the bag (no false bottom required! ha!) and you don't even notice it. And the wide strap adjustment means that it is really comfortable to carry all that extra weight. I used one layer of heavy interfacing and one layer of wadding inside the straps and they are amazingly comfortable.
The side pockets are the perfect size for wipes. Because you always need wipes. Put in two packs, just in case.
The front pockets are big and gapey, but just the right size for lots of muslins or other bits and pieces. I'm going to take Wendy's advice from a comment on my last post and put some sort of closure on these pockets so as to prevent missing items later on. Options: I could sew on velcro (not a friend of muslins?) or perhaps even just hand sew a line of stitching up the centre to create two smaller pockets that aren't as gapey. We'll see.
My very favourite bit is the chunky plastic zip. It is such fun! If I could, I would always use this type of zip. For those of you looking for the elusive 30" zip, I got mine from eBay for £2.99 (free shipping). Result.
Overall, I'm happy with this bag. You don't need as much interfacing and stiffening as the pattern says you do, unless you like that starched look or are using this bag for fancy luggage. I made a few adjustments that I'm really happy with (the interior pockets, the extra wide straps) and learnt about some that I should have (fully attached lining next time, and definitely magnetic snaps/stitching on the exterior pockets - and, does it need so many exterior pockets? not sure). The colours are a bit mad, but I like it.
I'll probably make another one. It is a great size, and I think it would make a really nice handbag if you sized it down a bit (at least 30%) and used sensible patterned fabrics. Not likely happening in this house.
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