happthings

The Mama Backpack - the tutorial to end all tutorials

Thanks for all the comments and well wishes on m 100th post esterda. And now....
Finall, as promised, the Mama Backpack Tutorial (Non-Mama's welcome!!)
Hold on to our hat folks -- there are a lot of steps. If ou have made lined bags before this is probabl prett familiar to ou, but
I've tried to be detailed in case ou are a newbie like me. If this doesn't make sense, go back and review the previous drawstring
bag tutorials (look in archives under Tutorials.) And man, man thanks to Mom for helping me figure out the original pattern
and kuddos to Mother-in-law for buing the original bag in Guatemala.
I can't wait to see how YOUR bag turns out!
Click photos for a larger view.
Materials:
1/2 ard outer fabric; 1/2 ard lining fabric
A little cotton batting
Grommets & grommet punch/press
4 ards of cord -- thick stuff since it is a backpack this time
Sew-on velcro - optional
1. Make yourself a pattern. It will be 15.5 inches wide and 17 .5 inches tall. (Apologies to metric folks.) Round the bottom edge a
little. This includes a 3/8" seam allowance all around. Draw a FOLD DOWN OUTER line at 1 1/4" below the seam allowance. Draw
another LINING CUT LINE 1/2" below the first line. Draw another SEW TO HERE line 1/2" below the first line. Mark two Xs 13"
apart on the bottom edge. These Xs indicate where to stop sewing up the sides. Here are some more photos to help you make
sense of these instructions.
2. Now draw the pattern for the bottom (its the oval laying on top of the piece above.) It will be an oval 11.5" wide by 5 5/8" tall.
This includes a 3/8 inch seam allowance.
3. Cut your pieces. Cut 2 pieces from your outer fabric. Cut 2 pieces of your lining fabric (the same pattern, but shorter -- cutting
on the CUT LINING HERE line).
q. CuL pIeces Ior LIe boLLom oI LIe bug us u recLungIe ubouL 1z." x 6." (oversIzed -- you'II cuL LIe ovuI down Lo sIze uILer
quIILIng). or LIe boLLom, cuL 1 ouLer IubrIc, 1 IInIng IubrIc, und 1 pIece oI buLLIng.
. SLuck LIe boLLom pIeces us sIown (buLLIng In beLween, rIgIL sIdes ouL) und quIIL us desIred. sLILcIed IInes ubouL z IncIes upurL
-- reIuLIveIy sLruIgIL. TIen, Iuy LIe puLLern you mude down, und cuL LIe boLLom ouL.
6. You sIouId now Iuve LIe ubove pIoLo. z ouLer pIeces, z IInIng pIeces, un u quIILed boLLom pIece.
; . I you wunL Lo muke pockeLs, now Is LIe LIme. Here's Iow dId mIne.
8. Cut a piece of fabric the width of our pocket panel and twice as tall. Fold in half, right sides together. Stitch around, leaving a
hole for turning. Turn right side up and stitch closed.
9. Sew pocket to lining along sides and bottom. Sew up center of panel to make 2 smaller pockets. NOTE: If ou want to add
velcro to close the pockets, do it before ou sew the panel to the lining. Much easier. Sew on as man pockets as ou want, then
proceed.
10. Pin lining piece igh ide ogehe. No, looking a o paen and anfeing he mak, e p boh ide fom he X a
he boom edge o he SEW TO HERE line (baicall 1/2" fom he op of he lining.)
11. Beahe. Ae o ill ih me? Can o beliee I am ing o eplain hi o o on a blog? Me eihe. B I pomied. I
ih I cold j ho o in peon.
12. No, befoe e can do he ame o he oe fabic, need o make he flap fo he cod and gomme o go hogh.
13. (NOTE: I an o of oe fabic o I ed he lining fabic fo hee. I old hae pefeed he oe iped fabic and o
ill pobabl oo.) C 2 piece 3" 8" Fold in half lengh ie and pe. Fold boh end o mee in he cene (ee phoo aboe.)
Pe. Fold again in half. Sich aond he 3 finihed ide (Yo'll p he a ide ino he eam.)
14. Follo he incion on o ool o pnch he gomme ino he cene of hee piece. Make e o chooe gomme
big enogh fo 2 piece of o cod o go hogh b mall enogh ha he kno on' lip hogh.
15. Place the grommet panels inside the 2 outer bag pieces about 2 inches from the bottom with raw edges out into seam. Pin the
panels together and sew the same as the lining - from the X at the bottom to the SEW TO HERE line. NOTE: This will be further
down from the top for this piece - leaving a larger portion at the top for folding down.
16. Mark center of both sides of both the long and short sides of the bottom piece. Mark the center of both sides of the bottom
edge of the lining pieces and the the outer pieces. This will help ou in getting things pinned.
17 . Breathe again. Are ou still with me? Pin the lining (still wrong side out) to the lining side of the bottom panel, matching up
the center marks and matching the side seam allowance with the center of the short edge. Adjust and adjust again until it is
relativel smooth. A few puckers here won't kill anone. Leave the side seams "up."
I'm not saing this is eas or quick, but if I can do it, ou can do it. Here's a view of the side seams up.
18. Sew pieces together from side seam to side seam with about 3/8 inch seam allowance. I sewed over the pins, ver slowl, but
I'm not saing ou should. Use our judgement. Use needle down position and adjust the fabric as ou need to when ou go
around the curves. Stop when ou get to the other side seam, backstitch, cut threads and then repeat on the other side. Now ou
should have this...
19. Now, leaving the lining where it is, do the same thing with the outer fabric, pinning it to the outer side of the bottom panel.
20. Een hogh o'e pinned he fabic on he oe fabic ide, o ill an o go ahead and ich on lining ide again o o
can follo he eac ame ich line o ed befoe. J be eall caefl ih he boom fabic poiion, adjing ofen, o i
doen' ge cagh. When o ae done iching boh ide, o'll hae hi.
21. Read fo he fn? No, flip he oe fabic p! Yo bag look aeome!
22. Fold and press the sides of the top of the outer fabric to create a finished edge for our casing. Fold and press the outer fabric
down on the FOLD DOWN HERE line, to create the top fold of our casing. Oh, I hope this is still making sense.
23. Now, fold under the lining so that it overlaps the outer fabric slightl, but creates a finished edge. Press. Pin.
24. Top stitch right along the top of the lining fold and the top edge of the bag to create the casing for our cord.
25. Insert the cord through the top of the bag and down into the grommets and knot. If you need more help with this step, see
previous tutorials. I would recommend that you try the bag on, fully loaded and adjust the length of the cord so it fits you well
and doesn't hang too low. Cut cord and use white glue or fray check on the ends to secure.
Wow. You did it. Wear the Mama Backpack proudly. (OR rename your Non-Mama Backpack to suit your life!)
25 Steps. Sheesh. World peace can probably be acheived in less.
If you try this, please let me know if something is confusing and I'll see if I can clarify. If you have success, share with me and
everyone by posting a comment with a link to your blog or photo if possible. Happy sewing from happythings.
April 25, 2006 in Drawstrings, Sewing/Quilts/Crafts, Tutorials Permalink
Commen
Great tutorial. I like the contrasting fabric for the flaps. I will be adding this to my to do list. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by : Laurie April 25, 2006 at 09:34 AM
Wow, y ou are v ery ambitious. You did a great job. Ev ery thing looks wonderful and I will definitely try to make it! Thanks so much for
making a tutorial. School started again so my crafting time has gone way down. Oh and the kiddies LOVED the concentration cards. I had
to set up a sharing sy stem because they all wanted them at once!
Posted by : Susanna Alonso April 25, 2006 at 1 0:1 5 AM
Just one question I forgot to ask....what do y ou suggest if I dont hav e the gromet stuff? I thought may be I could I make button holes instead
and pass the cord through that.
Posted by : Susanna Alonso April 25, 2006 at 1 0:1 8 AM
Now I finally hav e a REALLY GOOD EXCUSE to purchase a gromet maker. Thanks!
Posted by : capello April 25, 2006 at 1 2:34 PM
great tutorial!!! passing this link to my D-I-L ...she will lov e...
Posted by : Dawn April 25, 2006 at 01 :1 9 PM