echino bike bag

I probably have more bags than I could wear out in the next 50 years. Yet I enjoy making (and buying) new bags. Also, there are a couple of bags that I use all the time. This bag is one of them. I had it with me in Vancouver, so it was pretty much the only bag I used for a whole year. It has the perfect some and the perfect amount of pockets. Plus I have my hands free and I can also use it when riding my bike.

After almost three years of constant use my old echino bag looks very... loved? The strap is basically falling apart and although I still use it, I knew I'd have to replace it eventually. So during a sewing retreat in March I made a new bag. Same pattern, same combination of fabrics yet it's a very different style.
The bag is big enough to hold my laptop and notebooks, textbooks etc I need in school. It's also perfect for grocery shopping. And for going out with friends. Basically I use it for everything, because it doesn't look bulky when empty yet it can easily hold a lot of things.

One of the most important aspect of a bag are the pockets. I always put my purse + keys in the zipper pocket and my cell phone in the bird pocket, so I can reach it easily and don't have to fiddle with a zipper when it rings.

I quilted lines on the straps and top of the bag to give it some more texture. I love how it turned out!

This time around I didn't add adjustable straps because I cut the wrong size of fabric always wore my old bag at the same length anyway so I knew it would be comfortable. I wrote down all the measurements for the bag so I hope to post a tutorial on how to make it eventually.

Ressources:
outer fabrics:
green bikes // echino
strap + top // ikea 'minna'
inner fabrics:
gray // unknown
blue // ikea 'ditto'
bird // echino (from my last bag!)

interfacing // pellon TP971F theromlam plus
magnetic closure // recycled from an old bag
zipper // YKK

52 craft projects // echino messenger bag

Back in 2011, I made an echino bag. I love it and I've been using it pretty much every day since. in Vancouver I only had the echino bag and a small purse so I used it all the time; when I got back to Germany I took the bag to work every day in the summer, used it when I went grocery shopping, etc. Believe me if I tell you that I used it a lot. After a couple of months the straps started to rip. When I made it I didn't consider that I'd be using it to drag tons of books across campus. My mom sewed the straps back in(with a square and X in the middle etc.) and everything was fine but a couple weeks ago I noticed that the strap fabric starts to fall apart and the bottom of the bag is pretty worn, too. The chino fabric didn't fade at all though and I'm really happy with the quality of the fabric and print!

So when I decided to sew a new bag of course I'd go with an echino fabric again. I've considered sewing a similar bag to my old one but with a zipper to close it. Turns out it's impossible to find a durable metallic zipper anywhere in my hometown. So I decided on a messenger bag instead; I feel more comfy if I have a bag that can be closed properly so I don't have to worry about anyone picking something from my bag ;)

I didn't find a bag pattern/tutorial I liked online so I came up with my own design. I love it because it perfectly suits my needs:
- two elastic pockets on the outside to fit my water bottles (one of them is big enough to hold my trusty nalgene bottle)
- a zipper pocket for my keys on the outside so I don't have to empty my entire bag to find them
- a zipper pocket for my (oversized) wallet
- a '3 D pocket' with a flap that can be securly closed with a snap for my cell phone
- a cute 'bike' pocket for my tissues because I don't have a cover for my bike seat so I have to wipe the rain off pretty much every time I wanna go somewhere
- a keychain hook for my shopping cart chip
- many colorful pockets and tidbits to brighten my day

The flap is pink on the inside (it's a very colorful linen fabric that I got at a fabric market at a bargain price) and it can be closed with two magnetic snaps if it's full. If it's empty I usually don't bother closing  it. The adjustable straps and the bottom of the bag are made usinga very thick ikea fabric. The linen I used for the lining is from the fabric market too. The '3D pocket' fabrics are kokka and the green bicycle is an echino fabric.

I love sewing bags and pockets. I'm sure I'll add another bag or two to my collection this summer ... :)

This is project #18 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013.
You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.