Finished. At Last.

I found this backpack to be very difficult ONLY because there were many many thick seams to stitch through. My Juki TL18 did the job. But it wasn’t pretty. I was quietly cursing the entire time that I was doing the final steps–putting the front, sides, and band together. Too much “Soft n’ Stable” foam. Too many pockets to sew over. Then the binding wasn’t wide enough. Scheesch.

But now that it’s done…..

I LOVE IT!

This was supposed to be for Terry. He asked for a backpack. I made it in this nice black print thinking it would be masculine. I could tell by the look on his face–nice but no thank you.

That’s okay! I have a new backpack.

Took it for a test walk yesterday.

(It was cold! It’s February. In DC! What should I expect? Supposed to be an ice storm today and then snow next week. Might have to move back to Florida if this keeps up!)

So many pockets!

The front pocket has a magnet closure which I thought was very cool. I have never used a magnet like this before and really liked it. Will do it again.

I typically only carry my wallet and glasses but this has plenty of room in case I want to bring my iPad and a book along.

And maybe a couple softies, too.

This backpack would be great for travel. Just big enough to carry the necessities but not too big and cumbersome. Unfortunately, I carry Athena in a backpack. But when she doesn’t go with me, this will be my carryon!

I bought all of the zippers and hardware except the magnets from Wawak.com. The magnets came from Amazon along with the 110/18 denim needles that I had to buy to get through the seams. I also bought some round templates to make it easier to cut the corners. (If you click on any of the Amazon links I might earn a commision.)

The pattern was from ByAnnie but I bought it from an Etsy shop, NanasCountryHouse and the fabric also came from Etsy, jaqsfabrics.etsy.com. I bought 2 yards of two different fabrics and used almost all of it. I have a small piece of quilted fabric left that I plan on using for a matching pouch.

The pattern comes with a code for free videos. I didn’t watch them all but the ones I watched made things a little clearer.

I want to make this again but I’ll be changing some items. Like the seams–they are just way too thick. But first I want to make another Sandhill Sling so I can compare the two.

And now, on to something a little simpler.