Backpack, backpack....

So my daughter has been without a backpack all school year (pre-school).  She's told me a couple of times that the teacher told her she needed to bring a backpack.  And, yet, I procrastinated...

I had fabric in my shop that I fell in love with the minute I saw the sample at the Kokka distributor.  Sometimes, I fall in love with the Japanese novelty prints for no reason, but this time, I knew why I loved this print.  I knew it would make the absolutely perfect little girls backpack.

I took out my trusty go-to book - Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S's Liesl Gibson.  Really, my go-to for all my sewing between her book and her patterns.  But, for some reason, I didn't make my kid the backpack.  Maybe it was the zipper?  Maybe it was bag hardware?  I should have done this a long time ago.

 

I knew that I wanted the main fabric to be first and foremost in this project, so I chose a rather subdued beige cross-hatch fabric for the straps and lining.  Given the great instructions, the bag went together with absolutely no problem whatsoever.  The only change that I made was adding interfacing to the lining for a bit more structure.

The Kokka fabric I chose is the perfect weight for this project.  Sturdy enough to not be floppy, but not thick enough to cause any undue stitching woes.  I carefully placed the bears on the front to include complete bear-faces and a complete French phrase.   

Maybe someday I'll get to France....I'm such a sucker for anything French!

Here's the photo of my daughter wearing it....please forgive the early morning hair!

 

The backpack is the perfect size for a little kid.  I included an embroidered name label for the inside....not my best work, but perfectly suitable for a 3 year old!

The best compliment that I got was from my 23 year old daughter who says she wants one too!