Friday, June 22, 2012

Maple Leaf Messenger Bag for The Boy



School's out for summer, and The Boy has successfully made it through Grade 2! Wahooot! I made him a denim messenger bag to celebrate his accomplishment. Tonight we may even have cake... CAKE I tell you. Wouldn't that be totally clever yet atypical of me? Especially if it turns out?

Yes... so the instructions I used to make the messenger bag can be found right HERE at Sew Grown. It is a really great step-by-step tutorial. Super-easy to follow! I pretty much did as I was told mostly sort of. Since I was re-using old jeans, I incorporated some aspects of the original jeans in the bag. For example, the back pocket on the bag is actually a back pocket. Yuh-huh. And the strap is just the cut off waistband with belt loops left in place. Tricky.


The recipe called for D-rings, but incredibly I couldn't find any in the stash so I had to improvise. I cut off the opening of a shampoo bottle twice which yielded two tough plastic rings ideal for the job. They resemble eyes, don't you think? Look, they're sizing you up I think.


The Boy has a thing for all things red and patriotic, and as it happens Canada Day is coming up on July 1st, so I thought an embroidered maple leaf might be a cute and appreciated detail on the front flap there. I certainly hope he likes it. One can never tell.


Oh, by the way, today is link-up day for June's Patriotic Point of View...

Point of View: A Creative Collaboration

And I'm playing along here!  Have you ever made anything with a patriotic theme? Well, head on over there and link that baby up!

♥M


25 comments:

  1. Oh, wow, this is amazing! I'm sure the Boy just loves it. I'm always thrilled to see a good boy project on the web.

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  2. Ooh, I love how you personalized the project! The rings are so cool - why would you need store-bought D-rings when trash exists and you are Michele Pacey? Um, you just wouldn't. I esp. love that the bag is masculine but decorative as well - you always perform that difficult balancing act when making something for one of your guys.

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  3. What a fantastic bag and I'm sure your son is thrilled with it. As always, great use of on hand materials.

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  4. That is way cool! :o) As a fellow Canadian I'd love to sport a bag like that!

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  5. Sweetness - I always keep the belt loops at the top of my bags - I like the idea of using them for the strap...

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  6. This is Seriously and Extremely cool! Wow! I especially love the embroidered maple leaf but the whole thing is awesome.

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  7. hooray for making do with what you have! well done, indeed.

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    1. how do you do it and what do you need please reply quik

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    2. quick sorry lol

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  8. love the satchel!! such a thoughtful gift!!
    When I was a little girl (from 10 months old until 6 years old) I used to live in Calgary with my family! I remember i was obsessed, too, with the maple leaf!!! I used even to sing the Canadian anthem each time it was on tv !!!
    xxxx Alessandra

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    Replies
    1. post some more crafts i love purses watchs books walets

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    2. lol omg o my gosh

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  9. What a perfect pouch. I never cease to be amazed at how you find sewing notions in the most unusual places. :)

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  10. What a perfect year end celebratory gift! I love it and I'm sure the boy will too. Gorgeous embroidery Michele!

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  11. A really smashing bag, bonus to use recycled jeans with abit of patriotism too........love the strap lol

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  12. why, oh, why can't i be your next door neighbor??????

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  13. Beautiful work!!! yeah for maple leaves!

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  14. Wow! It's awesome! Such a clever use of the denim. And I love the embroidered maple leaf. I hope he enjoys it. Congrats for finishing the 2nd grade! And hope your cake turns out!

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  15. Love it! I never thought to use the waistband from jeans as a strap. I always cut up bits and sewed straps together. Great re-use!

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  16. Great job, Michele! My favorite part is the strap. I hope it becomes very well-used over the coming years.

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  17. i love this!
    i'm thinking that a waistband like that might make a great belt.
    and i love how the back pocket is transformed into... the back pocket.
    brilliant "inside the box" creativity : )

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  18. What agreat bag! Love it! My husband once bought me Canadian quilt fabric in Calgary. Maple leaves all over it. I sure want to make something for him out of that fabric, cause he so loves Canada.

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  19. I wish I had just an ounce of your cleverness- it would certainly save our household some cash, and me many trips to the store. Who knew there were alternatives to pretty much everything- including D-rings? The bag is wonderful!!
    xoxo

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  20. What a genius way to re-use jeans! I love this. You did a great job making it!

    Thanks for linking up to the Point of View linky party!
    Jonie

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