Library Bag

While I was there cutting out shorts and skirts in the September holidays, I was also forward thinking about what Rachel will need for school next year, namely a library bag and pencil case. Here I will talk about the library bag, saving the pencil case for the next post so as not to bore you with sewing stories. 

Rachel's library bag was modeled after Sophie's with a few tweaks. I used the leftover fabric from her Nature Bag, which is such fun wonderful fabric that I'm sad to use the last of it. It's got a slip pocket on the inside for the library card, a Velcro closure and is fully lined. Easy. I kind of wish I had looked at the yellow corner fabric a little more because I could definitely have cut it to match the pattern, but oh well.

It's lined with some purple fabric that I found in the stash (thanks anonymous donor-person), and is fully functional. Rachel is now just a little bit more ready for school.

Library Bag Mark 2

Rachel was the recent recipient of an excellent new Nature Explorer Bag, and when I was getting the material for it, it felt wrong not to be getting some for Sophie too. If Spotlight wasn't having a sale, I think sense would have won, but as it was, I got material for bags for both girls for $20, which is pretty good.

We have started going to the Library more regularly again, after a brief hiatus, caused by I have no idea what. I think part of the reason for the re-start is the stick insects, because our local library has some bush land and a park to play in right outside, so we can have a play and collect gum leaves for Rose and Twiggy while we are there, and since they need fresh leaves twice a week, it makes sense to capitalise on the trip.

Anyway, the library bags I made for the girls when they were smaller, are still good, but they have both grown out of them, so Rachel has inherited Sophie's (sorry second child) and Sophie was in need of a new one. This, coupled with the fact that a library bag was on her school book list for next year inspired me to get sewing.

Knowing it would probably be used for school, I modelled the design on a generic school-type one. This way, even if she has completely different fabric, it still kind of looks the same. Kind of.

Anyway, it's fully lined, got a little pocket on the inside for her library card, a Velcro closure, and a small space for her name in the bottom corner (as per the generic school-type ones). The stripy fabric is from the stash (hooray!), which I've used before in some bunting. It was a quick sew and came together easily and Sophie was delighted to take it to the library today to try it out.

Library Visits

I've started taking the kids to the library once a week. I should have started it long ago really, but I've only just now found the right time for it in our busy schedule. And since we are visiting the library, that calls for library bags right? Yes!

Sophie was pretty delighted when I told her I'd be making a library bag and was ever efficient at helping me pick out material. Unsurprisingly: trains. It's a green version of the blue train print I made a dress for her out of way back before Rachel was born. I've had it in the drawer for a year or two now, so it was good to see it get some use.

Speaking of fabric that had been in the drawer for a while, that denim was a remnant that my mum picked up from Lincraft, when it was still at Garden City. If you are any sort of south side local of Brisbane, you'll know that Lincraft haven't been at Garden City for about 15 years. So it was about time that denim got used really! I also used a fun animal print for Rachel's bag that I had grabbed at Spotlight (a year or two ago now as well!) for $4 a metre. I've used it before in a cot bumper.

Yay for using up stuff rather than going out for new. On that note, I also went through my bag collection and found one that was simply falling apart and helped it fall apart some more so I could reuse the magnetic snap. Yes! I also, cut up the first backpack I made for Sophie (which unfortunately was made with the same red fabric I used for mum's ill-fated birthday present, that turned everything red rather than washing like normal fabric) and reused the velcro and the adjustable strap thingys too. I also managed to scavenge another set of adjustable strap thingys from a backpack Sarah and her Steve were throwing away too, so not a penny spent!

I had a look at some backpack tutorials, as well as referencing some great bags made by my favourite blogger, ikatbag, (that's where I copied the shoulder strap shapes) and then just winged it from there. Overall a good turnout. I wanted the shoulder straps to be padded, but I didn't have any scrap quilting batting, so I just stuffed them with stuffing and quilted over them (patterned on Sophie's and free motion on Rachel's). They are a little puffy but they do the job.

They are a bit matchy, but not too much. They also have inside pockets (made from scraps) which I kinda thought for library cards, but I'm not sure about trusting the girls with them yet.

The girls are pretty delighted with them and I let them pick some iron on motifs (also from the stash - honestly, I've no idea where they came from!) to add afterwards. The day I finished making them, the power had been off all morning and I'd done as much prep work by hand as I could. When the power finally came back on at 1:00pm, (thankfully three out of four kids were sleeping) I skipped gleefully off to Sally. The girls put them on and wore them all afternoon. I wish I had photos.

To the library!