Desmond backpacks

Last month I thought I would sew something a bit different. I saw some rucksacks with roll tops that I really liked in the shops, but I was put off by the price. Then I was inspired by Lauren of Guthrie Ghani to have a go at making my own, the Desmond backpack (see her blog post). To up the challenge I decide not just to make one, but two simultaneously, one for me and one for the other half.

I went with the gorgeous Millerain waxed cotton from Guthrie Ghani and found some lovely Robert Kaufman linen mix fabrics from mauds-fabric-finds.com for the lining. I already had some of the other bits I needed from some other bag making projects and the rest came from Calico Laine. They have a great selection of webbing in different colours for the straps, all well priced. I knew the bags were not going to be cheap to make, so I really shopped around to find exactly what I wanted.

With all the materials sourced I was finally ready to start construction. I found the pattern instructions were clear and the method of construction quite simple, so it came together easily. The pattern has plently of internal pockets, but I decided I wanted an additional zip up one, as I like the peace  of mind of knowing my stuff is secure, so I added this in. It is really simple to do with plenty of instructions on how online. My one challenge was that my machine didn't like sewing through multiple layers of the waxed cotton fabric, but I just perservered and got there in the end.

I am really happy with the result, a lovely pair of casual bags. I think the bag should be pretty strong; you reinforce the stiching by sewing repeatedly lines of stitching and the finished result seems quite robust. I would change a few things if I was to make the pattern again. I would add a couple of inches to the roll top. You don't have a lot to roll down and if you are not careful this tends to unroll. This is probably partly due to my fabric choice, the waxed cotton is a little stiff, I think it will soften up over time. I used D rings rather than circular rings and I find the ones on the shoulder straps sometimes rotate out of place, so I think circular rings would be my preference. 

So here is one of them from various angles:  

I think you can see that it is a good size. The other one in the mustard yellow also turned out well.