Little Messenger

The kids have been commandeering my bags lately for their own purposes (namely, toting random items around the house), so I decided it was time to make them bags of their own in a more appropriate size! Here's Little Man's:

I used Zaaberry's Kid's Messenger Bag Tutorial, which was excellent. This is a simple design, but not having to figure out the proper dimensions myself was delightful! And it's the perfect size for my three year old. I only made two modifications -- one was to the strap, which would have been far too thick with my heavy denim and a double layer of batting. I opted for a single layer of batting and less denim, creating a slightly narrower and thinner strap. The other was to add a simple magnetic closure to the bag, which I thought Little Man might enjoy. Oh, and I did add a metal ring to the side, which he might enjoy attaching things to.

I bought the patch many moons ago -- Little Man spotted it during a JoAnn shopping trip, and was so excited that I couldn't resist buying it for him. He does love "Cars!" I wish I'd placed it a little lower on the bag, since I didn't account for the flap needing to cover the bag opening -- but c'est la vie. Little Man hasn't complained about it! *wink* I applied it with an iron, but also sewed over some of the existing black lines for added security.

I managed to find a suitable lining fabric in my stash, which meant I didn't need to make a trip to the fabric store to complete the project. I love it when that happens! Taking a cue from the lining color, I did all of the topstitching in a pale green. 

Other than a few kinks (like my sewing the strap in backwards -- not a big deal, but annoying enough to me to unpick it and put it in the right way), this was a remarkably smooth and satisfying project. Little Man seems to approve, considering how much he uses his "Mater bag." The first day he had it, he apparently thought it would be a great idea to place all of his wooden puzzles pieces in it. All of them. Boy, was that a fun mess to sort out! Since then, he's opted for his entire matchbox car collection, and other sundry bits and bobs.

Rosa's bag is up next!