Have I ever told you that I’m a bit of an over-thinker lol?!? I’m adding an “lol” to that because anyone that really knows me, knows this is so true, and I’m adding all of you that are regular readers of my Blog into that group cause I’m pretty sure you’ve all got me figured out too lol!
Anyway, Ella asked me to make her a bag, oh I don’t know, many months ago and I just kept putting it off because, yup, you guessed it, I was overthinking it and making it feel like it was going to be such a big job, and probably not super easy! Some of you long-time readers might remember that for Christmas in 2022, I made her and Jeff duffel bags that were the same as I had made for Josh earlier in the year…well actually, it was the second exact same bag I had made for Josh, the first one I made him was in 2017!!! He used that first bag almost every weekend when he’d go to visit his girlfriend at her University, so eventually it started to show some wear and tear so in 2022 he asked if I’d make him another one to replace it! He wanted it pretty much exactly the same, it served all his needs and he liked the size! So I gladly made him another and then shortly after, Ella decided she needed one, and then Jeff thought that since everyone else was getting a “Shawna bag”, he should too lol! So away I went and I made 3 bags that were almost exactly the same!
Phew….I’m tired just looking at them all lol! These were all made using the Dogwood Travel Duffel Bag by Blue Calla Patterns and the fabric, although it looks slightly different in some of the pics, is all exactly the same, which was an upholstery remnant I purchased when I worked at Fabricland years ago! I remember buying it for cheap, like $10 for the whole piece and there was probably 4yds of it! It sat in my stash for so long and then Josh chose it for his initial bag and everyone loved it so much, they all wanted the same one for theirs, including Josh for his 2nd!
So back to Ella lol, she uses her bag every weekend as she works away from home so she stays at her brothers house during that time. The bag has served her well but again, in the last while, also showed some wear, especially in one part that caused me a ton of trouble during the construction, which was the large grommet that you attach the crossbody strap to.
This was honestly the hardest part of the bag and probably just because I don’t work with grommets very often so I’m not very good at them, evidence you’ll see in these pics lol…..
Well that’s embarrassing to share but I know this is a safe place lol! The rest of the bag is still in great shape and I think she’d still be fine using it if it weren’t for that! As I said, she’s still using it and it’s fine….but we all know that “fine” is not good enough lol!
So since she was asking for a new bag, she asked if I could make her one a wee bit bigger so I decided to try a different bag pattern altogether. Yes, I could probably just increase the size of this one but that’s just not really something I was interested in doing, to be completely honest! I knew I already owned a couple of other duffel bag patterns so I thought I’d give one of those ones a try! Here were my options:
We have the Tribbiani Traveler Trio by Sincerely, Jenn Patterns and the Dallas Vintage Duffel by Swoon Sewing Patterns. As you can see, they’re quite similar in appearance and the sizes were comparable too. In the end I decided to go with the Dallas Duffel bag and solely because I really liked that vertical pocket on it! I feel like this technique is something I could add to lots of different bags once I learn how so why not give it a go!
Side note…..Swoon Patterns were some of the first ones I used when I started making bags and I loved them so much! Sadly the designer, Alicia, moved on to other things in her life so there will never be new Swoon patterns but thankfully a different designer took over the past designs, such as the Dallas Duffel, so people can still purchase them!
I took some time to check out the Swoon Pattern FB group to look for inspiration and possible tips and trips from others that had already made the group, and I was pleased to find that most people loved the pattern just as it is, and some did add a couple of things that I thought were great ideas to incorporate as well!
I was hoping Ella would pick a different exterior fabric but nope, “same as before” was her request, but I can finally, after now using it for the 5th time, report that it is completely gone, every inch of it was used, in fact I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough to complete this bag but after some careful and creative cutting, I managed! Best $10 I’ve ever spent on fabric lol!
The pattern is very straightforward and while it doesn’t come with any videos, there were several on YouTube that you could follow if you wanted! I was fine with just the instructions so away I went, but also wanted to add 2 things to the pattern that I had seen and liked:
- add slip pockets to both ends
- add a vinyl panel to the bottom so the part that sits on the floor can be wiped off if it gets dirty
Both of these things were easy to do. I just cut out 2 additional end pieces (one exterior and one lining) about half the height of the original to make the end slip pocket. For the bottom panel, I just kind of guessed at how big I wanted the vinyl piece to be, and it actually worked out to be perfect, almost like I had planned it that way exactly lol!
So…who’s ready to see the new and improved bag?!?
I’m so pleased with how this turned out, and even more importantly, so is Ella! I had it ready for her when she got home and she checked it all out and was very happy with it! It was a pretty easy project, so yes, totally over-thought the whole thing for no reason at all lol! And since the crossbody strap is still in good shape from her other bag, she’s just going to use that if she thinks she needs it but the regular straps on the bag are long enough to go over her shoulder so she may just use those to carry it!
She quickly took this pic for me to give you an idea of the size comparison, and you can see that it’s not a huge difference but enough to give her a bit more room. There is one size larger of the Dallas Duffel bag but it’s quite a bit bigger and would probably be too big for here needs….but I guess time will tell as she uses this and sees what she thinks! I just haven’t told her yet that this material is all gone sooooo lol!
Well that’s all for now my friends, I hope you’ve enjoyed my latest sewing escapades, as always, I’ve enjoyed sharing them with you! Wishing you all an amazing week!
Shawna
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