Showers of Love Part Deux: Baby Crafting

I promised a post about the diaper bag that I made for Polyhymnia, and here it is. I always forget how long it takes for the finishing touches - hand sewing a few places, trimming thread ends, removing any visible basting stitches, edgestitching and giving it a good coating of ScotchGuard. But I finished in time for her shower!

Look how well I lined up that front pocket!

Here's the bag from the side. Note the little end tab on
the zipper: my own addition to the pattern.

Here is the inside view of the bag, fully loaded and ready to go.
Oh, do you recognize those onesies on the left?

Another view of the inside.

I really have to say again how much I like Butterick's construction techniques for their bags. It all went so smoothly and IMHO the end result is a nice looking bag. The features that I particularly liked are:

• Ample size and pockets: This is a nice sized bag! I loaded it with diapers, travel feeding dishes, 3 sets of burp cloths (under the onesies), 3 onesies, wipes, baby powder, diaper cream, and all sorts of things. Plus 3 outside and 4 inside pockets provide lots of options for keeping things easy to find.
• Sturdy construction - Now that I have used hair canvas to interface the bag, I can't imagine using anything else in the future. It is lightweight and doesn't add a lot of bulk, but it is very stable and strong. Even fully loaded, I didn't feel like the fabric was pulling or straining.
  
• Zipper top construction - Zipper installation was a breeze and I love the styling of the zipper's housing.
  
• Contrast lining - you could make this bag in one pattern or in a solid color, but I loved Butterick's pattern for it's fun use of contrasting fabric. For example, if you look in all of the outside pockets, they are also lined in the striped fabric. I also like how the inside of the zipper housing is in the floral fabric. It really makes for a fun bag that has some nice style.
• Again, as with my last diaper bag, this one does not scream "here's baby!". It is a really fun and functional bag that, really, could be used as a weekender or a large tote bag. There really isn't any feature that makes it a "diaper" bag.
  

I will be making this bag again, for my sister-in-law and I expect it will go a bit quicker the second time around. However, I am not planning on any alterations to the pattern, unless Poly has suggestions. It really is a great bag, and I hope it will do the job well for her!