Make a School Satchel

This is an epic make; a project of crafting proportions which I really enjoyed. I wanted to make a bag for my Big Girl who is going to Secondary School in September. 

 The pattern is called the Barcelona Bag from SusieDDesigns on Etsy but you could download any satchel style bag from the internet. The cutting out alone took a whole afternoon. It was advised to label all the pieces so I DID!

The fabric is grey denim with a combination of cotton fabric from the Camelot Fabrics Drops Coraline Quilting Fabric collection. I used one metre of denim and two fat quarters of each patterned fabric. I had a lot of denim left over, more on that later. Other specific haberdashery was required: thread, belt rings, interfacing, needlework plastic canvas and fusible fleece. I already had a nice recycled satchel strap.

I took my time with this make. It has been made in little stages since June. The pattern is in small steps which I crossed off as I went along ensuring that it was made properly.

Bag making is good for my instruction following skills. A successful bag is made in the right order, no going off piste or making it up as you go along. 

There were lots of little details: pockets inside and out, top stitching on the strap, strap ring and fusible fleece padding. The plastic in the base really gave it strength.

A new school bag satchel for my big girl, starting big school. 

I thought it would be too small but A4 books fit into it easily.

The denim gives it strength and the strap is comfortable.

The fusible fleece really adds to the professional finish on the pocket front and adds strength to the whole bag.

Internal pockets have little hiding places to stop things getting lost. She really likes it and her house colours are navy and light blue - I didn't even know that when I picked out the fabric. To top it off Bloke said, "did you make that bag or buy it?" Perfect!

Thanks Minerva for some top quality supplies.

Jo xxx