The story behind my 2nd diaper bag with this fabric and style:
SIGH. On my last road trip, I threw the kids in the car in a hurry and placed my diaper bag on top of the sunscreen on the floor of the backseat. Without me knowing about it the bag got sprayed with the entire bottle. When I got to where we were visiting, I decided I would wash it like I have in the past. This time I was using a front loader washer. These washers don't have the same capability to spin things like this dry like a top loader does, and because of the washer, the bag looked like it had been run over by a semi truck and drug 10 miles after one wash. I decided I'd try to dye the outside black again and make the black look better. I knew the dye would bleed so I sprayed the inside fabric with scotchgard. It did nothing, so don't waste your money. After spray bottle spraying the outside bag with dye and washing it, the outside looked the same and inside looked destroyed and purple.
After bawling at the loss of my hard work, time, and the fact that I really did like my last bag, my husband said "make a new one" knowing it would cost more money, but I would feel better. (Oh, how I love that man!!!)
I tracked down the fabric again online, had it shipped and by the time I got home from my trip I was ready to sew!
This time, I wanted to add a few inches length to the bag because there was never room for my older daughter's toys and books in the bag when we went to church, and honestly it felt small to me even though it was the biggest bag I've had yet. I thought adding 4" to the length of the bag wouldn't be too big of a change, so I altered the pattern and added 4 inches to the length, not thinking about how it would change the whole look. This picture above looks good. the proportion of fabrics looks fine and it doesn't seem too weird. well, by the time I got the binding on top bith the seam allowance, it looks .....weird. long and way too skinny. I should have made it a little wider and shorted the outside pockets a little.
I had a whole night of bawling AGAIN over this diaper bag dilema and couldn't get past how silly it looked to me, not to mention I ran out of fabric for the outside and ended up using pink for the lower half pockets not realizing that it would turn into the bottom of the bag later. My brain was overloaded at the time with "motherhood." (If I sound like an absolute wreck and emotional disaster, you are right... I was. Having a baby messes you up for a long time. .... Still not back to my old self.)
I skyped my sister and showed her the bag, sent pictures to my husband on the phone, posted pictures on facebook and finally figured out how to make it better. Having a pink bottom made the odd shave more obvious and it would get dirty so fast, so I took a regluar cotton piece of black fabric (It was all I had, and I don't live down the street from a fabric store.) and I ironed fusible fleece to it. Then I pressed under all the edges and hand sewed it on to cover up the pink. It will do and it makes the bag less awkward to me.
(i've been having trouble with blogger and now have lost the before picture. I also deleted it off my computer)
I love the inside of this bag now! I have 2 more pockets than the last bag. I did the inside completely different than last time too. I did each side of the bag separate, then pieced it together rather than doing it like I did the outside of the bag. it worked out great!
I even added a place to keep my keys, because lately, I try to get the kids out of the car, and by the time i'm ready to go into a store I can't remember where the keys are or if I locket it or not. THEN, I can't find them later when I need them. adding another kid in the mix messes with my memory and focus ability big time.
Pocket inside pocket on the outside of the bag. I keep all my chap stick and pens etc there.
pocket on the outside
while making the bag, I ran out of black fabric, so I used pink thinking it would look ok. first mistake is that it will get dirty fast. it also makes the size very evident and makes it look more short. it just plain looks weird to me. so under estimating the amount of fabric is a mistake. always get more! I don't live down the street from a fabric store either.
fully stuffed!
