If your name is Geoffrey Smythe, I'm going to ask that you stop reading this...pronto. Have you stopped yet? STOP - unless you want to see your Christmas gift.
Alright, now that he has left, we can all talk about what I made him for Christmas. I've decided to go with a hand print theme this year. No, I don't have themes every year - I'm not that organized. It just worked out this time. Well, except for my sister's present. Sorry. You know what you're getting, anyways and it would look silly with random hand prints on it. Anyways - onward to the gift. I was really at an impasse with my brother. I just had no idea what I could possibly make him that he would actually want. Couple that with the fact that he would have to get it back to Japan with him in a CARRY-ON and it really complicated things. As a side note - I have absolutely no idea how he is going to be able to fit everything he needs for two weeks in the States into a carry-on bag and then fit in all the gifts from Christmas on the way back. I guess he is an amazing packer. Way better than me!
After much thought, I came up with a plan. A messenger bag. It's useful, manly, and he could use it to pack all his Christmas gifts in on the way home. We have a winner! The only problem? I have NEVER (and I mean NEVER) made a bag that I am happy with. But as I had no other ideas - it was going to have to do.
I started to make him a bag. I cut out all the pieces and even put interfacing on them. Then, I really looked at them. Huh, they seemed a little small to me. I asked my husband. He took one look and said, "Becca, you're making your brother a purse." Oops. I'm guessing my brother really doesn't want a purse - of any kind. Back to the drawing board. The purse was put aside for a future project and I went back to making a much larger bag that didn't remotely look like a purse. I used brown corduroy for the outside of the bag and lined it with a brown denim that I had laying around from who-knows-what project I had done in the past. I also used fusible fleece for a nice, sturdy interfacing. This is what the finished bag looks like:
I'm really happy with the way it turned out!
Are you wondering what happened to my hand print theme? Just lift the front flap and this is what you see:
Two big pockets. Each pocket has a hand print on it, sewed on with orange thread for contrast and to make them a little more interesting. The pocket is lined so you cannot see the orange thread on the inside of the pockets.
Here is the inside of the bag:
There are three pockets and a roomy interior. The only thing missing is a clasp or closure for this bag. I'm going to add some velcro to this one, but in the future I plan on installing a zipper at the top (or maybe a magnetic snap...).
And here is the strap of the bag. I put a D-ring on it to make it adjustable. Some people like it higher and some lower.
One last finishing touch: a key ring holder on the side of the bag.
That's it! One more Christmas present done and ready to be given! I hope he likes it!
PS Like this bag? I just finished another one (with a zippered closure and a large pocket on the back). It is now for sale in my Etsy shop. Check it out!
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| http://www.etsy.com/listing/115668991/messenger-bag-with-adjustable-strap |
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