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 new bag pattern, I was very excited!

The pattern is finally launched this week so I can post about my version! Desmond backpack is a fully lined backpack with roll top, zippered front pocket, two side pockets, and several pockets inside.

For my version, I use medium weight nylon fabric on the outside and lighter nylon fabric for the lining. I want an all-black bag so I use black plastic hardware.

There are several changes that I made to the bag but mostly only the hardware stuff, like using side release buckles instead of D-rings and tension locks instead of O-rings. I did add a wide pocket inside so to insert a piece of XLPE foam sheet so my bag can has more structure and not too crumpled.

I think one of the most challenging part about designing a bag is making the perfect dimension, not too big nor too small and with perfect balance between height, width, and depth. I am very happy that this bag has fulfilled these requirements. The size is just right for daily use. The front pocket is perfect for keys, and little things that need to be accessed easily, and the side pockets are the right size for water bottle. Everything is not too much nor too little, just right as it is.

The instructions are quite clear and straightforward. I can say that this is a perfect project for a beginner who wants a little challenge. Taylor has started Desmond backpack sew-along at his blog at the moment if you want to hop in!

Pattern is Desmond backpack (PDF) by Taylortailor.