Retro Rucksack #2

bag making
Here's my second Retro Rucksack (pattern by Radiant Home Studio), not made for me, but as a birthday gift for a friend! It's not often that I get round to doing any unselfish sewing - in fact I only promised this one after a glass of wine too many - but I really enjoyed making my first one, so this was a nice, stress-free bit of present making.

Retro Rucksack #2
My fabrics were once again from the always wonderful Fabworks. They have a great selection of showerproof and outdoors-y style fabrics that would be good for a a parka or a mac, and they work great for bags like this. I picked a more muted, classic palette this time with my friend in mind:
  • Khaki wax cotton for the bottom and the straps - it's slightly heavier in weight than the wax cotton I used for version 1. I actually used it wrong side up as I preferred the finish of the non-waxed side (which is darker in colour and marks quite easily).
Worn as a backpack on the model
  • Thin stripe fabric for main bag - this is a remnant of soft furnishing/curtain fabric. It's a really decent weight, so I skipped the interfacing on that bit, as it has enough body to hold the shape of the bag alone.
I looked really funny balancing and holding a lamp up while I tried to take these photos! I'd be no good at product shots!
  • Acetate/poly mix for the lining - this is the same design as I used the first time round, but in different colours. I avoided ironing it where possibly after last time's melting incident.

Zip opening
A little peak at the lining and inside pocket
I made my own straps once again, which is a truly satisfying process. I added a few inches to the shoulder strap - as much as my fabric permitted - so there's a bit more room for maneuver when adjusting the straps.


A lovely, neat view of the back
I love the Retro Rucksack pattern, and particularly enjoyed sewing this version up now I'm feeling a bit more confident about bag making. As I was making it with my friend in mind I thought I'd feel totally fine about parting company with it, but I ended up really wanting to keep it haha! I like how smart and professional the two outer fabrics look together - I put my all into that topstitching too!

Side view
My mum saw this one and has already put in a request for the next, so it definitely won't be the last time I'll use this pattern! My friend is planning to take hers on a trip to New York - we thought it would be a really secure bag to travel with because of all the fastenings - so I requested a picture as proof that my sewing went international! Until then, here's a picture of the bag in use, in a not so exotic, but quite sunny, Bradford - I feel all warm and fuzzy inside seeing someone else wearing something I've made!

New bag gifted to it's new owner
I've been doing a lot of sewing in the last couple of weeks, but I'm not quite up to speed with getting pictures of everything so they can be blogged. I have a few posts lined up, and a very exciting project in the works that I'll be sharing more about soon (it involves sparkles!)

And if anyone has any bag pattern recommendations, I would love to hear them! I think I've caught the bug!


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The Retro Rucksack!

accessories
I'm so sooo excited to share this make - my Radiant Home Studio Retro Rucksack! It was a bit of an adventure into the unknown for me because, to be honest, I'm just not a natural bag constructor/maker - I find it really hard to envisage how all the layers and linings fit together with things like this. So it was SO great to find a pattern I loved with instructions that are so amazingly thorough and detailed. I think it might just be one of the most professional looking things I've ever sewn up!

The materials
I came across the Retro Rucksack pattern after seeing a couple of beautiful versions sewn up on Try Curious Blog and Cut Cut Sew - I just had to buy the pattern for myself! I loved the roll/fold down top, and the clever design that allows you to switch between carrying it as a shoulder bag or back pack. I only hope that my post and pictures can do the bag as much justice, as I think it's such a fab pattern.

A peak inside - it's a shame that lining is hidden from view!
I enjoyed the challenge of trying to find the perfect fabrics. I knew I wanted to use wax cotton for the bottom of the bag, similar to the ones I'd already seen made up online. I was quite close to buying some Nani Iro fabric for the main bag pieces, but I'm always reluctant to order online as you can't check the weight of the fabric. In the end, I took myself to Fabworks in Dewsbury (to compensate for not being able to make the Yorkshire Spoolettes 2nd meet up *sad face*) and managed to get everything all in one go! My eventual colour-scheme/choices were inspired by the palette of lovely Leeds independent shop Colours May Vary, along with all those minimal Swedish-designed back packs that are everywhere at the minute:

- Greeny/yellow taffeta for the main bag
- Grey wax cotton for the contrast bottom and straps
- Black and white graphic print nylon for the lining

The hardware is probably the the hardest to track down. The pattern provides some handy pointers for buying in the US, but I'm across the pond in the UK and too impatient to wait for international postage. I got my clip fastenings, strap sliders and D rings for a really good price from Green Grizzly - would definitely recommend! Le Prevo is also good for bits like this too.

Zip pocket in the lining
First up, you construct the lining. This includes a zip closure pocket which I must say, I found quite difficult to get right - I've never inserted a zip with a facing placket before, so it was quite fun learning a new technique. I imagine I found it a bit harder than I should have, because I shrank some of my lining fabric slightly with the heat of the iron (eek!). Anyway, with a very cool iron and some maneuvering of mismatching pieces, I just about got away with it. There's also a handy section-pocket in the lining that's designed to be around the size of a tablet.

Close up detail!
I decided to make my own straps as the webbing I bought was just too flimsy for the job. I used the instructions provided to make super strong straps - 4 layers of wax cotton and interfacing to be precise! My sewing machine was not happy. I had a few hairy moments with the fabric thickness, but I managed it with some careful turning of the hand-wheel and a heavy duty needle. I think the bag looks much better for having matching straps, and they should hopefully withstand a lot of use!

Front view
Back view
It all came together at an exciting pace then. There's just some very careful top stitching to be done along the v-shaped panel, and it was really cool to do the XX 'crosses' to add strength where the fastening straps are attached to the bag.

More detail - to show the XX stitching over the straps
I still had my unpicker handy for the few things I did wrong... It took me 3 attempts at inserting the main zip before I got it the right way round - entirely my fault for being a sleepy sewist and skipping through the instructions. When I finally got it right, I did feel pretty good about it! After that, you fold the top in on itself by 4 inches, and stitch in the ditch of the side seams to make it look something like this:

Inside zip view
And the finished Retro Rucksack on the model
I was meant to be saving it for festival-season, but I just couldn't wait that long - it was made to be used after all! It carries a decent amount of contents - my days of carrying impractical amounts of stuff on one shoulder are over. If I make it again (which I definitely will as I promised a friend one for her birthday) I'd make the straps just a little bit longer. As a back pack, it sits just right on me, but it would be nice to have a bit of flexibility to make them longer/wear the bag a bit lower down.

Retro rucksack!
A quick change and it's a shoulder bag!
In case I've not stressed it enough already, I just need to say that I love this pattern! I'm feeling really proud and positive about my first venture into sewing accessories! I think I have the bug now - does anyone else have recommendations for some interestingly designed bag patterns?


Stay in touch!


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