I've been dealing with the winter blahs since the holidays and haven't done much sewing. It's been raining here for weeks now and it's hard to get motivated to do anything! I did spend a little time here and there working on a new backpack using the Happy Backpack pattern by Ateljeecaro. Carolien kindly sent me a copy of the English version of her pattern and I'm so happy she did! It took me a while to choose fabrics/colors/hardware I wanted to use but eventually came up with a plan I was really excited about. This project was all about the process for me and I enjoyed taking my time to figure things out. I had ordered a few different canvas fabrics but things didn't click until I spotted this Fjällräven + Acne Studios Kånken bag. Being able to visualize what the colors would look like together was huge help.
The Happy Backpack pattern includes two sizes (I made the small version) as well as a few different options for exterior pockets but I ended up skipping the exterior pocket and instead drew inspiration for front of the bag from this backpack by Tsukanoma. The only thing I would do differently next time is to make the top handles shorter. I couldn't find any strap webbing in the colors I wanted so I used fabric to make my straps and handles from scratch. I made them 1 1/2" wide to work with the bag hardware I wanted to use. One other change I made was to use interfacing in place of the foam stabilizer the pattern calls for. I used two layers of Pellon Shapeflex on the exterior layers of the bag and a single layer on the lining. The pattern includes instructions for a really clever method of sewing in the bag lining. It was great to learn a new trick! For the final step of sewing in the lining I opted to sew by hand versus using my machine - I find hand sewing to be relaxing (when I'm not stabbing myself with the needle!) and it resulted in a really clean finish.
Make sure to check out the hashtag #happybackpack on IG because there are so many amazing Happy Backpacks being shared!
PATTERN: Happy Backpack
LINING FABRIC: Grid in Crossword
ZIPPER: Black Double Pull Zipper
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