Tag: bag

IKEA backpack (Kanken backpack knockoff)

Once in a while, I make something just because of curiosity. Like this backpack that I made a couple of days ago. Perhaps you’re familiar with the general shape, that reminds you of the Kanken bag made by the Swedish company Fjällräven. Or perhaps you recognize the material, that is the Frakta shopping bag by IKEA. I have several Kanken backpacks, from the mini, original, and big. My son and husband also use them. They’re perfect everyday bag, made from strong materials in many choices of colors. This is not an advertising for Kanken backpacks though, I just really like them. […]

Fortune cat tote bag

My new tote bag! Actually I wasn’t planning to make more bags but then I found this canvas fabric with interesting panel print. One panel is showing a Maneki Neko or Fortune Cat, and the other panel is Mountain Fuji. The print is interesting enough that I want to show it off as much as possible with simple lines and no visible topstitching. That is why the straps and facing are tacked to the bag with small rivets.   I left the bag unlined and bound all the raw edges with twill tape. The wide bag straps are quite wide so […]

Pattern testing: Desmond Backpack

Taylortailor is one of my favorite sewing blog. I love how much thought and details are shown in each project that Taylor has made. There is no one day sewing project in his blog, everything is developed slowly with so much patience. Something that I often don’t have! If something takes more than a week, I usually begin to lose interest…. Another thing that I like about his projects is that his style is something that my husband can relate to. My husband likes simple lines, functional details, and often muted, calm colors. So when Taylor called for patters testers for his […]

Yoga mat bag

A quick sewing project from last week. This is a yoga mat bag for my sister in law. The fabric is a gift from lovely Iveta of Wonderosa.You might remember that I’ve made one of them in this dress. It is just a simple unlined drawstring bag with cotton webbing for straps, my own pattern. The diameter of the bag is quite too big for my yoga mat, but my sister in law had sent the dimension of her bag and it is bigger than mine. I think her mat is thicker. My husband will go to Indonesia this week […]

Dog saddle bag

Monte has been with us for a week now. I take him for a walk twice a day and he seems to enjoy this routine. He’s very energetic though, which is quite good for a dog at his age. But it means that I get tired before he does, and he still needs more exercise to calm him down (or I need more exercise so I can keep up with him). I read somewhere that wearing a backpack can give the dog more exercise and sometimes helps focusing his attention. Monte is pulling on the leash a lot and easily […]

A day in the mountain backpack tote

We went to the mountain today, but I didn’t wear my new top because it doesn’t match my new backpack! Actually I prefer carrying a tote bag than a backpack, simply because I never found any backpack style that I like. But I thought I would need my hands free for our walking in the mountain trip, so I made this backpack tote yesterday. The pattern is ‘A Day in The Park Backpack Tote’ by Liesl + Co. It was offered as a package when I bought the ‘Nature Walk’ pullover and knit pants from Oliver + s for Sidra. The […]

Making reversible bag

Bag dimensions in approximate: from top of straps to bottom of bag: 50 cm / 20 inches height: 28 cm / 11 inches width: 40 cm / 16 inches Fabric needed: I don’t know because I used leftover fabric for my bag. You can print the pattern and place it on your fabric to make an approximation. It is only one piece of pattern. Fort similar bag, you can check Charlie bag by Burdastyle ($1.99). It is a bit bigger and has squared bottom. Please go to the bottom of this post to download the PDF pattern and tutorial. Disclaimer: You […]

An apron, another bag, and a pinch pouch

A few days ago, I joined a cooking class in the neighbourhood. And just a day before the class, my friend told me that I had to bring an apron. I guess it wasn’t too unusual since almost every housewife in Japan has an apron that they wear everyday. Well, I do some cooking at home and had thought about using an apron, but somehow always postponed making it. I immediately turned to my scrap bag and found that I still had some leftover from my IKEA bags. This one was just enough for a small apron without pockets. Maybe […]

Pig and polkadot bag (and pencil pouch)

When my husband saw these oilcloth bags, he said that he’d be very happy to have an oilcloth bag in a more, uh, manly pattern. I’ve been eyeing this oilcloth fabrics from Echino line by Etsuko Furuya, so I was happy to find the opportunity to sew them. I pick this interesting black oilcloth with white rings and grey pigs on it. For some reason, some of the pigs have black spiderwebs on their back. The orange polkadot is also from Echino, but it’s thick cotton instead of oilcloth. Both fabrics have purple selvedge that I incorporated on the pockets […]

Too many bags won’t kill you

I was offered by several nice ladies to join them in a local market held in my area. This market is usually held for two days, once in every season. I’ve been there once, the sellers are usually stay-at-home moms who loves to craft in their spare time, and the buyers are other moms too, so it’s a bit like an inner circle. The place is not really big, but I guess it’s enough to accommodate all of these women from the area who’s interested to come. I decided to make reversible Charlie bags for this occasion because (1) they’re […]