Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New Field Bag for Gramma...

It is inevitable. You are sewing away like a fiend for everyone else and all of a sudden it strikes you that maybe you should have something new too. I'm making a lot of new field bags this year. In case you don't know what a field bag, for us it signifies a bag that we carry when we go on hikes, walks, or outings of any kind. It's a receptacle for treasures and all manner of "interesting things", as well as for stashing a water bottle, and hats and mittens when you don't want to wear them. They are also an ingenious method for teaching kids to cart their own stuff. They can take, and/or pick up, anything they want, as long as it fits in their own field bag!

I decided my field bag was looking a bit trail worn. I had made it quite a number of years ago and it has served me well. I kept the same dimensions for the new bag because I have been very happy with the general shape and depth. The base fabric is a piece of beautiful Duluth sample canvas that I picked up for $2 at their outlet store in Wisconsin. It has a very sturdy and comfortable padded adjustable cross-body strap.

The front has a double layered pocket section forming four pockets total. The fabric was leftover from an apron I had made. The striped seam binding was made from a piece of cotton I had in the scrap bag. I had done the embroidery piece at some point in the past and I thought it fitted well into the design.

The inside of the bag is fully lined with a fabric from my shelf. I had bought a piece of it awhile back because I really loved it, but had never used it for anything. This fabric also lined Abbie's field bag I made her for her birthday.  


The inside has a zippered pocket, a two tiered pocket section, and a water bottle sleeve for holding my water bottle or travel mug upright in the bag. It is a soft sleeve so will simply fold to the side of the bag when not in use.

The bag turned out really well. Can't wait to take it our for it's first test drive. Susie without a field bag is like...well...bread without butter!


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2 comments:

  1. Pinkey the Axe FairyDecember 12, 2012 at 12:56 PM

    I'd love to check out your awesome bags next time we're in town, and I can imagine, with Duluth fabric they're quite rugged.
    I totally agree that functional bags, for specific purposes are absolutely essential. My go-to bag for hauling every-day stuff like books, papers, iPod, etc. is the Brooks Barbican Shoulder Bag. It's technically an urban cycling bag but it serves my purposes. And because it's designed by the greatest English leather bike saddle manufacturer in the world (Brooks Saddles) I'm pretty happy with it. Of course it lacks the personal touch of a home-made bag but it has taken on a lot of character over the years and I'm not sure what I'd do without it.

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  2. SusieDecember 12, 2012 at 1:14 PM

    Oh those bags are awesome! I found a great, seemingly unused, heavy leather Fossil bag at one of the thrift stores in Wisconsin. I think it was left simply because a couple of stitches came out on the strap, which I promptly and easily fixed. It's like a map bag style (?). It's not quite as awesome as a Brooks but it's a fabulously sturdy bag that I couldn't pass up. If I ever needed to flee my home suddenly because of some disaster this would be the bag I grabbed. It would hold up for life!

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