SMALL BACKPACK

TIME: 8 HOURS | LEVEL 3.5

This backpack has an asymmetrical design and is

made up of irregular pieces, both of which make it
slightly challenging - primarily to construct, but also
to sew. It’s a case of making the pieces fit together in
the end, and for the shape to be nice and even. The
backpack is just big enough to hold a thin 15” laptop,
and it fits your back like a glove. It’s also a great bag
for running.

CUT OUT ACCORDING TO PATTERN

Make paper patterns or measure and draw directly onto the material,
following the outlines of the project components on p. IT4. All measure-
ments are in cm and include seam allowances. Cut out the pieces.

SEW TOGETHER THE FRONT AND SIDES,

AND SEW THE FRONT INNER POCKET

Cut out a piece of lining; it should follow the same angles as the front
MATERIAL piece, but it should measure 23 cm along the bottom edge, 18 cm along
densely woven polyester/ the top, and should have a height of 19 cm.
cotton canvas outer Fold and press a 2 cm hem at the top of the lining, and sew along both
material, ¢.50 x 100 cm the upper and lower edge of this hem. Fold and press 1.5 cm of material at
cotton/polyester poplin the bottom of the lining. This time, fold in the opposite direction (inwards).
lining, ¢.40 x 50 cm Place the piece of lining on top of the front piece so that the top hem
polyester webbing strap, (turned outwards) is 4 cm beneath the upper edge of the front piece — the
20 mm width, 1.5 m shorter of the two short sides.
strap adjusters, Press in the edges of the front piece 1 cm over the lining. Position the
20 mm (x 2) side pieces so that they overlap the folded front piece by I cm.
coil zip with two Pin and sew together with a seam from the outside, c.2 mm from the
sliders, size 5, 50 cm edge and with another, parallel seam 8 mm away. Both should be sewn

113
 29cm
PROJECT COMPONENTS

A Back section, outer

material

Lid, outer material

Bottom, outer material

SP
Wd
Front, outer material 29 cm

te Sides, outer material

Ye)
te)
il

(x 2)
F Shoulder straps, outer

material (x 4)

G Adjustable straps

for shoulderstraps,

polyester webbing,

50 cm x 20 mm (x 2) 31cm 31cm

H Front inner pocket,

lining (x 1)
17cm
| Zip, size 5, 46 cm (x 1)

J Shoulder strap triangles,

outer material, (x 2)

K Computer pocket at

back, lining, (x 1)

L Carry handle, polyester ty

W9

webbing, 20 cm x

20 mm (x 1)

25.5 cm 950cm

15.5 cm

18 cm

23cm 34cm
LE

=
is)
°
N

3icm
20cm

20 mm

114
with the front piece facing upwards so that the more attractive upper
thread will be visible from the outside. Since these seams will be visible
on the front of the backpack, take care to work in a straight line. I tend to
use the edge of the fabric as a guide, picking a point on the presser foot
to follow this line. Then, while I’m sewing, I focus on that point, rather
than on the needle. It might sound banal, but when you’re working with
slightly thicker materials, you might find that your machine likes to go off
to one side, which means you need to give it your full attention and steer
the material carefully if you want to end up with straight seams. Repeat
with the other side.
Next, sew the rows of stitches that will form the bottom of the inter-
nal pocket. Place the material front side up (so that the more attractive
upper thread stitches are visible on the outside of the bag), and feel for
the point where the pocket begins — i.e. where material gets thicker. Draw
a line along this edge, and sew with the outside of the bag facing up,
c.5 mm above the line. Begin where the vertical stitches (attaching the
side pieces) meet the line using a forward and backstitch, and finish off in
the same way at the other end. Next, sew a second, parallel seam.

SEW THE ZIP TO THE FRONT

Cut a 46 cm length of zip, but don’t thread a slider onto it.

Press a 1 cm fold along the top edge of the front piece and sides. Clip
the fold in a few places so that the fabric lies flat, despite the curve.
Mark out the mid-point of the front piece and the zip, line them up
with one another, and use a pin to hold them in place.
Sew the zip into place on the front of the bag. I find it easier to sew
without any pins — i.e. to adjust the position of the zip by hand, sewing a
few stitches at a time before turning, adjusting, and sewing some more.
Stretch out the zip as you sew so that it is at its full length. This means the
zip will be angled slightly inwards later.

SEW TOGETHER THE BOTTOM,

FRONT AND COMPUTER POCKET

Cut out a piece of lining measuring c.34 x 31 cm. This will form the
computer pocket at the back of the bag.
Fold and press a 2 cm double hem at the top, then sew a row of stitches
along its upper and lower edges.

115
 Bring together the front piece, back piece and computer pocket as
follows: place the back piece on top of the bottom piece, so that its lower
edge is lined up with the edge of the bottom piece. Next, place the back
pocket on top of the back piece with the ‘front’ of the pocket facing
upwards — i.e. with the hem visible.
Push two pins into the back piece and pocket to hold them in position,
then sew a seam I cm from the edge, through all three layers.
Next, take the finished front piece (including the sides) and mark the
mid-point of its bottom edge. Line up this point with the mid-point of
the bottom piece (right side to right side), and sew together with a I cm
seam allowance. It’s easiest to begin in the middle and sew one half first,
followed by the other — working from the middle out.

SEW, THE LID AND ZIP

Take the piece of material for the lid and press a 1 cm fold around the
rounded side.
Clip the fold in places so that the hem curves nicely.
Now, sew the other side of the zip that you already attached to the front
piece along the entire edge of the lid. Before you begin, mark out the
mid-point of both the zip and the lid, line these up with one another and
pin into place. You should have an equal amount of excess zip on both sides
of the lid. Sew one stitch at a time, and stretch out the zip as you sew. If you
prefer, you can separate the zip into two pieces and join them together
again later, when you add the slider ahead of sewing the side seams.

SHOULDER STRAP TRIANGLES, SHOULDER

STRAPS AND CARRY HANDLE

Cut out two isosceles triangles measuring 20 cm at their base, and

10 cm high.
Fold in half, then fold a c.1 cm seam allowance on both the top and
bottom sides, and press.
Trim away the fold in the c.1.5 cm closest to the base of the triangle on
both sides. This is to avoid having too many layers to sew through when
the triangles are later sewn into the side seams of the bag.
Place a 50 cm length of polyester webbing inside the triangles. The
end of the webbing should sit at the point of the triangle, and it should
be sewn into place with a row of stitching along the outer edge of the
triangle.

116
 Sew around the edge, and sew an extra seam along the inner edge of
the webbing strap as reinforcement.
Take the pieces of fabric you cut out for the shoulder straps and fold
and press 1 cm of fabric along the long sides of all four pieces.
Place two of these pieces on top of one another with the folds inside,
and sew together with a seam along both long sides, 3 mm from the edge.
Thread a strap adjuster onto the thin end of each shoulder strap. Next,
fold back around 5 cm at the end of the strap that is threaded through the
strap adjuster, and make sure it is centred.
Sew the end of the strap back against the main strap using a 2 x 3
square of stitching. The folded side of the strap should be on the inside
when the backpack is being worn, so make sure that the strap adjusters
are facing the right way.
Next, cut a 20 cm length of polyester webbing, fold it down the middle
and sew a 10 cm seam down the middle of the folded strap. You should
be left with 5 cm of free strap at each end.
Thread a slider onto the zip and close it as far as you can — but only so
far that you can still manage to sew the side seams.

SEW TOGETHER THE SIDES

Pin the side pieces to the back piece (with the computer pocket smooth
and in the right position, flat against the back), and pin the shoulder strap
triangles into place at the bottom edge, where the sides meet the bottom.
Sew everything together. Begin at the bottom, and sew until you have
passed over the zip. Sew back across the zip, then again, until you reach the
edge of the lid before its straight side. Stop there and secure the thread.
You can now turn the bag the right way out, push the shoulder straps
into place beneath the top edge of the back piece and test out the angle
and distance between them, to see what suits you. Roughly 5-7 cm
between the straps, angled slightly outwards, tends to work best.
Mark the right position and turn the backpack inside out again. Use
your markings to pin the shoulder straps into place. The ends of the straps
should sit edge to edge with the lid. Next, pin the carry handle into place
between the straps. Sew the top seam by folding the back piece c.12 mm
over both the lid and shoulder straps; your entire seam should be 10 mm
from the edge. Sew this seam twice to give it reinforcement. Now all that
remains to finish off the bag is to sew bias binding around the inside seams.

117