Stumbling with Details

The Haversack

This was an idea that I had a while ago when it was summer and I was trying to find a bag that would carry only my essentials - wallet, phone, keys, chapstick - and strap across my torso out of the way.  Like a deep pocket.  I cut out the fabrics, ordered zippers, and then stumbled over assembly.  How to line the bag around the zipper and finish everything nicely.  I got distracted by other projects and let it percolate in the back of my mind.  Then, messing around with a tutorial for another bag, I had a "eureka" moment.  I knew exactly how to put the bag together. 

I love this fabric.  Echino is a Japanese company and their designs are so fun and irreverent, executed in brilliant colorways.  The weight is perfect - a heavy cotton linen blend that is not canvas stiff, but not quilting weight either.  I have a real affinity for grommets right now and liked the idea of clipping a strap onto a bag, plus I like the way grommets look - substantial, like they mean business. 

Then I got hung up on straps.  Leather straps would be nice, but are pricy.  That might be an option - buy a bag and pick a cloth strap or a leather one.  But for now, I wanted to find something that wouldn't require a lot of searching on the internet.  Webbing?  Too wide.  Canvas?  Might work, but finding the right color could be tricky.  But right there on my shelves sat the solution.  A darling collection I had just stumbled on - Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander.  

Cross hatch in tangerine. 

Of course, now we're running full tilt to winter, so I'll have those pockets I need all winter in my parka.  But these will make a perfect gift for someone not so fortunate to live with icy temperatures and substantial snowfalls.  And they are coming soon to the MiMBY Etsy store, just in time for some holiday shopping!  Ask and I'll put together a tutorial on sewing one for yourself!