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Back To School 2017

Back To School 2017 – All The Backpack Details

I’m super excited to finally share the details of Bean’s back to school outfit and backpack.  We’re on tour with Sprouting JubeJube and Lulu & Celeste for Back to School 2017 and with Bean starting her first grade year way back in early September it’s been so hard keeping the details from you this long!

Back To School 2017

You guys!! That epic backpack, hehe.  I let her pick out the fabrics and she chose basically every fabric that should never be used for a structured bag, but somehow I made it work.  I’ll post all the hairy details below in case someone’s just crazy enough to make one too.

Back To School 2017But first, I want to point out this fabulous Crossroads Dress (or View G For Free would work too!) and Paneled Sunsuit MashUp.  I’ve made a few of these so far with more versions in the works and they are Bean’s absolute favorite these days.  Super comfy and stylish.  Hopefully I’ll get a chance to post all the MashUp details on here soon.  But seriously, it’s so easy I’m sure you’ll figure it out yourself before I even get the post up!

Back To School 2017Last year I surprised Bean with a fun Panda Backpack for Kindergarten and she loved it.  But this year I thought she should be able to pick out her own backpack details and she had very strong opinions about what she wanted.

Back To School 2017Her first demand – ahem request – was for the backpack to be pink velvet just like a dress I made her last spring.  Well of course that fabric was a knit and not really the best option for the structure of a bag, but there was no talking her out of it.  I ended up using stiff interfacing on all the velvet pieces to make sure they could hold their shape and not stretch out.  Also, since the velvet will pick up every single piece of mulch or dirt, I added a faux leather panel to the bottom of the bag to help with keeping the pink portions off the ground.

Back To School 2017So of course the crazy town fabric choices didn’t end there.  She wanted this cosplay stretch gold fabric for the inside of the bag.  I kind of thought it’d be cool cause it’s slippery and if something got sticky in there (ugh lunch remnants…) it’d be east to clean, but again with the stretch fabric.  I used more interfacing on those pieces too.  I had some gold chevron fabric that would work well for the binding inside so I made a ton of it one afternoon to make sure I had enough for the bag.

Back To School 2017The pattern I used is the Cumberland Backpack from Sew Sweetness which is the same one I used for her last year and then I also made the smaller version for a purse backpack for myself.  It’s a great pattern and I didn’t make too many changes to it to make it work.  One modification was to make the straps have a bound edge instead of turned inside out.  I wanted to use the faux leather (another choice she made) and the idea of trying to turn that fabric inside out freaked me out.  Plus I was able to use more of the gold chevron binding I made for the inside of the backpack which was fun.

Back To School 2017Another change I made was to add side pockets to hold her water bottle.  These were just rectangles where I made a pleat in the bottom and an elastic channel at the top edge.  Super simple.

Back To School 2017Inside the front pocket, I used more of the gold stretchy fabric and some stretch mesh sequined fabric for the “mesh” zipper pocket.  She wanted that sequined fabric soooooo badly and I thought this would be a fun use for it inside.

Back To School 2017And finally, for the front snap pocket I used more of the sequined stretch fabric to add some bling.  Since it is a see-through mesh fabric, I backed each piece with a piece of the gold stretch fabric and then interfaced the whole piece.  The mesh looks great with the gold fabric backing, so I’m happy with how it all turned out.

Back To School 2017So far (almost a month in) the backpack has held up extremely well and first grade has been a big hit!  Fingers crossed for the next nine months hehe!

Back To School 2017

Check out the rest of this fun back to school tour below:

Tour schedule:

Monday, September 25, 2017

Host: Sprouting JubeJube

Sewing by Ti * mahlicadesigns * Momma You Can Make It * Kutti Couture * MoonStar – Wondermirakel * Call Ajaire

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Host: Lulu & Celeste

Sew and Tell Project * From-a-Box * Ronda B. Handmade * MeMade * House of Estrela * My Heart Will Sew On * Tales From A Southern Mom

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Host: Sprouting JubeJube

mahlicadesigns * Gracious Threads * Adventures With Bubba and Bug * Elli & Nels * Bellevi * Little Heart Threads * Sewing By Ti * Lulu & Celeste

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Host: Lulu & Celeste

Paisley Roots * The Crafting Fiend * Sewstarly * It’s Liesel * Tales of a Tester * Kaleidothought * auschick sews

Friday, September 29, 2017

Host: Sprouting JubeJube

SewSophieLynn * Sew Haute Blog * mahlicadesigns * Sew and Tell Project * RP Custom Fabrics Blog * FABulous Home Sewn * Sewing By Ti * Phat Quarters

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melissa E of mahlicadesigns

    September 25, 2017 at 10:53 am

    Oh, the work that went into that pack! It came out beautifully and the mash up outfit is so cute too.

    Reply
  2. auschick

    September 28, 2017 at 11:24 pm

    That bag is very fabulous!!

    Reply
  3. Ula

    September 30, 2017 at 11:29 pm

    She’s so cute and that bag is fantastic!!

    Reply

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callajaire

Proof that my children are spoiled 😆😆 This Proof that my children are spoiled 😆😆

This gorgeous Luxe Cuddle throw in Arctic Rabbit Bayou is going to my 6th grader and she may never get out of bed again. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️
#shannonfabrics #shannonfabricscuddle #luxecuddlearcticrabbit
I had fun pulling through my @shannonfabrics Cuddl I had fun pulling through my @shannonfabrics Cuddle scraps for the @postalthreads fillable egg swap again this year! 🥚🥚🐣🐣

These fun (and soft) blue sparkly eggs were sent off to my swap partner today 💕💕
(I’ll post a finished pic once I’m sure it’s been received)

#fabriceggstravaganza #PTeggswap2023
So excited to finally get my hands on this Cloud C So excited to finally get my hands on this Cloud Cuddle!  I was a huge fan of the old Spa Cuddle which was double sided and have been missing it so much!  Now that this super soft double sided cuddle is available, I can’t wait to get sewing 💕💕
(Fabric choices picked by the 6th grader 😆😆😍😍)
#shannonfabrics #shannonfabricscuddle #cloudcuddle #shannoncuddle
We had great time away this weekend, even though t We had great time away this weekend, even though there was no snow (so no snowmobiling, naturally) in the Poconos. In spite of how it looks in the pics even the tween enjoyed herself 🙄😆😆 

Thanks to @staytherex for the lovely accommodations 💕💕
When your baby isn’t feeling well and all the th When your baby isn’t feeling well and all the things get canceled, you take the time to make a new snuggly blanket in her favorite colors, just the right size for her toddler bed. 💕💕

#shannonfabrics #shannonfabricscuddle #shannonfabricsluxecuddle
Current status. So proud of you @patrickhinds_ 😘😘
Fun Valentine’s Day craft with our Moms Rekindle Fun Valentine’s Day craft with our Moms Rekindled group @redeemer.lutheran this morning 💕💕
I made some new step outs for the Larry the Lion c I made some new step outs for the Larry the Lion class I’m teaching at @sewspecialinc this week, so I thought I’d finish up this girl who was made up of my previous ones. She’s perfect for Valentines Day 💕💕

#funkyfriendsfactory #shannonfabrics #shannonfabricscuddle
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I've always loved making. At an early age I started cross stitching and sewing and I taught myself to knit and crochet during college. When our seven year old daughter Bean was born I was filled with all sorts of inspiration, so now I find ways to manage my crafty time and treasure those moments. Though sewing is what I'm most passionate about these days, there's something about the portability of yarn crafts and embroidery that keeps drawing me back in. Read More…

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