Intro + Draft 1
Bags are something I'm very passionate about, and I'm glad to finally have the time and skill to begin making my own. Designing my own duffle bags and backpacks is the eventual goal, but mastering tote bags is the first objective.
My thought process behind designing these bags was twofold, firstly to repurpose more of my scraps ( a lot of times when I make things there is a good amount of extra fabric, and this seemed like a great way to repurpose it).
Secondly, I desperately needed a better art bag to take to class and all the tote bags I was using were missing a few things that made them annoying to use. It was sucked to spend 5$ on a paintbrush just for it to get mangled in my bag cause theres not a single compartment.
**Draft 1 is the blue and orange bag, Draft 2 is on the pink hanger and Draft 3 is the last bag of the 1st bag**
Both of these very important and pressing issues gave me the idea to start drafting my own design to combat them. The making of these tote bags was a process, one that needed 3 drafts to get right. The first draft of the bag was mostly made as a test so I could get a feel for making the mismatched panels. One of the notable things I learned while in the process of making this bag was to pre-sew all of my hems BEFORE I put the whole thing together (god knows how I forget every time).
The big issues I had with the 1st draft were with the location of the pockets ( i just didn't know where to put them) and how many I planned to use (i eventually decided on 3, two big ones inside and a carpenter pocket on the front).
Overall the first draft was a great proof of concept and I started work on drafts 2 & 3 a week later.
Draft 2 + 3
Draft 2 is very similar to the first draft the main difference being:
- beginning to use scraps to make up the body construction of the bag
- noticeably smaller ( i lost my pattern as was too lazy to look for it so I used Draft 1 as a reference)
- minor sewing adjustments (bag is more durable)
the only big issue with this bag is that I used some lighter fabrics to test to see how they'd work within the bag and those light fabrics needed to constantly be re-ironed to sit smooth.
Draft 3 is the final draft and represents the perfect design to me:
- bag opening is wider and longer (think a rectangle laying on the long side)
- this is where I added in the 2nd interior pocket and switched the pocket stitching (it looks much better now)
- made the straps slightly thinner (initially were 2 inches thick but these were a little too big so I cut them down to 1.5 inches)
This final draft is one of the best practical things I've ever made, it's literally perfect for me to take to class and all the drafts I went through streamlined the process greatly.
Final Thoughts
working on this bag was a fantastic exercise in the more practical uses of sewing and I'm glad that I did it.
Scrapwork Tote Bags will be available on 12/14 for 25$