First Try Making a Backpack

My daughter asked if  I would make a drawstring bag to hold  child's coats, hat etc in the  nursery cloakroom. I like a mission. 

The bag is not for the child to carry but rather for her parents to ensure the child has everything she needs each day. My daughter would like the bag to easily sling on her shoulders so hands are her free to manage her children. A shorter hook  or hooks on the bags would be useful for hanging on the pegs. An optional extra would be to have the child name on the bags.

I started searching Pinterest for ideas and then I used google. There are lots of You Tube tutorials. It is so easy to spend hours just looking. 

Then I was shocked to find an article about a nursery child who was left in her cot with a drawstring bag. I messaged the Facebook group "Just Sew" and six people sent me ideas and reassurances regarding safety. After all they are cloakroom bags I am making not cot bags,.

I planned a bag based on my researches and the advice I'd been give. I wrote it all down. I'm sure planning helped to some extent but I made lots of mistakes when I was making the first bag by not following my plans closely enough. I blame having a very bad cold.

The colours are not what I would have chosen normally but I had them in my stash.

Here is my planning which I will follow more closely next time.

Backpack for Nursery

Materials:

Outer: 2 pieces - Length 18 inches, width 16 inches at the top tapering out to 18 inches at the bottom

Bottom - 35 inches in diameter

Pocket - 8 inches by 8 inches

Lining (measurements as above) : 2 pieces - Length 18 inches, width 16 inches at the top tapering out to 18 inches at the bottom

Bottom - 35 inches in diameter

Pocket - 8 inches by 8 inches

Applique for pocket - Initial

Straps : Cut 2 - 3 and a half inches by 30 inches.

Strip Top for Drawstring: 33 inches by 5 inches wide

Tag for hanging from a cloakroom peg::  4 inches by 3 inches.

To make:

Applique the outer pocket.

Place the pocket front and lining with right sides together. Sew all around except for a two inch opening on the edge at the bottom of your applique.

Turn the pocket to the outside through the opening you have left. Handstitch the opening .

Top stitch edge of the pocket that is above your applique. This will be the pocket opening when it is placed on your bag.

 Position the pocket in the middle of the front piece. To get the middle simple fold front piece in half long ways and press a line down the middle. Do the same for the pocket and then line up the pressed marks. 

Top stitch around leaving top edge open. 

For the straps I cut 2 strips 3in. by 28in. long and sewed them right sides together. I pulled it through with the loop turner above. I ironed them flat so the seam was down the middle of the back. 

Fold an end of the strap over an inch and sew a square evenly on the back panel. I lined them up 2.5 inches down from the top and 4 inches from the sides. Line the other end with the darts on the bottom and topstitch.

Sew the front and back panels right sides together.

Sew the bottom circular piece right sides together Trap the strap ends in the seam edge that will be at the back of the bag.

Sew the liner by repeating the steps above but without the straps.

Turn the liner to the outside and sew right sides together except for approximately a 3 inch hole so you can pull it through. 

Top: Fold the top strip in half lengthways and iron. Press under a on one of the edges.

Put a small erasable make  half way along the  part of the strip that will be  at the front of the bag. Iron on a piece of interfacing  about 4 inches wide at the bag of the strip. ( The marker should be in the middle of the where the interfacing is placed.. Sew two button holes about an inch each side of your marker. Fold to the inside and top stitch through all the thicknesses. 

Topstitch

Sew the cloakroom tag securely to the  the top strip.

Pull a drawstring through one buttonhole and around the bag to the other buttonhole.