Duffle bag

I'm not much of a bag sewer - I tend towards leather handbags and I use a small suitcase normally for holidays. But a duffle bag is always good, easy to fold down into a suitcase for extra fabric shopping storage, lol!
This is my second version, I made myself a boring plain grey one and the daughter picked out this fabric from my stash. I have to admit I'm a bit jealous at how good it looks!

Pattern details:

I used a free pattern from here.

I changed a couple of things design wise - I joined the separate base and side pattern pieces and cut the outer as a single piece. Added a big inside zippered pocket and also added pockets to the ends inside as well. I don't have much craft/bag interfacing so used a woven fusible interfacing I had at home to fuse both the lining and the outer.

Fabric is a digital scuba knit from Spotlight and the lining is a thicker old nylon lining fabric (sort of feels like a ripstop nylon).

I bought the webbing from spotlight as well as the plastic clips. The pattern asks for swivel hooks but I couldn't find them locally so used clips on the straps instead.

Amber wanted a shoulder protector that slips over the strap. I used some scrap wadding and quilted it then bias bound the edges. I copied the shape from an existing bag we have,.

I'm pretty impressed with this pattern, everything turned out pretty good. A couple notes if you don't normally sew bags though;

• make sure you interface it if you aren't using a heavy canvas/duck cotton.
• Add in the outer end pockets even if you don't think you'll use them, they help support and shape the ends.

 

Its a surprisingly huge bag, I took mine recently on an overnight trip to Adelaide and it fitted heaps in, I'm holding it here to give a perspective on how big it is.