Monday, March 17, 2014

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!


6 comments:

  1. Cute idea! My grandson loves Mater too so I may have to copy!

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    1. Diane,

      I always thought Little Man would like Lightning McQueen best (fast, fancy race car), but apparently Mater is the favorite! :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  2. Adorable! I was never taught to sew and I do not consider myself crafty though I secretly long to be ;)

    Perhaps you could do a sewing for newbies?! Or point me to some helpful blogs/books?

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    1. Cari,

      I hope you get the chance to indulge your crafty side! Here are a few articles I found that have a ton of great information (and/or links to it):

      http://thediydreamer.com/sewing/sewing-101-guide-for-beginners-like-me/

      http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/10/5-sewing-techniques-beginning-sewers/

      I'll have to see if I can come up with some ideas for newbie seamstresses -- though quite honestly, people much more qualified to give advice have put up tons of great stuff on the interweb!

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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  3. That's so neat!! Juanito also likes Mater best, which surprised me too. Maybe it's the towing capabilities? I love the idea of giving the little ones bags of their own for toting items. Thanks for sharing!!

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    1. Hannah,

      So apparently Mater is the winner! That tow cable must have some attraction for little guys. :-)

      Blessings,
      Shannon

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