Monday, June 18, 2012

Fandango Diaper Bag

I have recently come to the realization that baby-time is quickly approaching and I needed to get my butt in gear (ok, so really it was Hubby telling me that I can't start any other projects until I finish all the baby stuff that really got me going...), so I whipped up the diaper bag as my first baby project. When I decided that I would make my own diaper bag, I started searching for patterns and found quite a few free ones, but was drawn in by Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Home Baby, which featured a diaper bag (or as it's called in the book "Here We Go Bag") and settled on that one.  The main exterior print and the interior print are both Kate Spain's Fandango, and the pink handles and pockets is Feedsack II by Sara Morgan.

Diaper Bag Exterior 

I must say, I really do like the look of it, but I wasn't a huge fan of the pattern or the construction of the bag.  Firstly, the pattern pieces for all of the projects were drawn over lapping each other, so I had to find some tracing paper and trace out the pieces for just this project...this became a huge pain in the butt, because the only paper I had was 8"x11" foundation paper, and of course all the pieces were bigger than the paper would fit, so I had to tape some pieces together which was not ideal (I do blame myself for that one since I was too impatient to wait until I could get to the store and get proper paper before starting).  I know this type of pattern is probably normal, but I think I've been spoiled using mostly Amy Butler patterns which each come with their own page so you can actually cut them out...oh well, moving on.  I also was not a fan of all the extra firm stabilizer, I think I would have preferred to use fleece instead to give it a little more "give" and versatility when it comes to being able to pack stuff in it, but I'm not sure how the over all look would have been without it being so structured.  I also learned that when directions call for double sided fusible interfacing, don't cheap out and buy the sew in with plans to just use fabric glue to attach it...turns out that's a really bad plan, and I should have saved myself a lot of frustration and forked out the extra $6 or so for the right stuff...

Anyway, the directions called for just the interior divider, with an option of adding pockets however you'd like.  I tried to add as many as I could with the fabric I had left over.  Having never had to have a diaper bag before, I really didn't know what kind of pockets I "need", so I tried to make a small variety, hopefully it works out.  I also added little rings on the inside to clip my keys to, and added the long, removable strap to the exterior so it can be worn across the body if I so choose.  

Diaper Bag Interior 

Turns out it's really hard to get a picture of the inside of a bag, but you can kind of see some of the pockets here.  

Diaper Bag

Here it is loaded with a few items to test it out a bit...so far so good, but only time will tell! It is REALLY big, so it should be a pretty good bag for those times that I need to bring everything with me, and it will be great to be able to have room for my stuff as well as baby's without having to carry a separate purse.  

I am entering this bag into Purse Palooza over at Sew Sweetness.  There are already so many great entries in the Flickr pool, so if you need any inspiration for any bags or purses for yourself, you should definitely check it out!! 

5 comments:

  1. Great job, Jess! These kinds of bags can be hard to handle if you haven't made a bunch of them. I remember my first real bag like this and I came to a lot of the same conclusions as you and haven't skimped on anything since. :)

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  2. love love love! I just got some fandango and I can't wait to dive into it!

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  3. What a perfect diaper bag! I really love it, I love how it is feminine but not overly "girly"... Really great fabrics! You are so talented at bags, really this is a great skill as your bags all look so professional. It must be rewarding to have made this for yourself. I need to finish my baby quilt before the baby gets here too but with moving and just exhaustion, I am not moving so fast. Good for you jess! Hope you are feeling good too in the home stretch.

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  4. wow, now that's a diaper bag! i wish you the best of luck in finishing your baby projects, i have a hard time finishing things myself, hehe! It looks really good, like you knew what you were doing, and like it will be very useful. i love that you tried to cheap out on the fusible, sounds like something i would do. gotta learn the hard way, right?

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  5. wow, now that's a diaper bag! i wish you the best of luck in finishing your baby projects, i have a hard time finishing things myself, hehe! It looks really good, like you knew what you were doing, and like it will be very useful. i love that you tried to cheap out on the fusible, sounds like something i would do. gotta learn the hard way, right?

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