Done!!! But It Feels Insulting to Call This a Diaper Bag

I dare you to call this a diaper bag!

Since Wednesday was a beautiful day, I was able to reschedule my outing with my excellent friend Magenta and her new little one, and drop off my gift - a diaper bag - in the process. I can't help feeling that it's unfair to label this a diaper bag. I'd be happy toting this around sans baby.

Here are a bunch of photos. 

Front - I think my pattern matching has come a long way!

 

Back

This is my third version of Butterick B5005, which I first reviewed in 2009 (blog post here and PR review here). I don't have much to add to my initial comments about the pattern. It's a great bag, and although it's sold as a diaper bag, each time I've made it I've thought about making one for myself to use as a weekender or carry-on bag for travel.  I think the only thing the bag might be lacking is a zipper pocket. And, frankly, if I had thought of it last week, I would have added one. Oh well.

Over time, I've begun using more hardware on my bags.  On this version, I used webbing from Pacific Trim for the straps...

...a magnetic snap for the front pocket...

...and a zipper from Botani, that I had custom shortened.

I don't have a good picture of them, but I also added feet to the bottom of the bag. You can see them a bit in the first photo. Also, I added a lanyard with a lobster claw on the inside for clipping keys or a binky to.

As for the rest, I used lime green cotton broadcloth for the lining. I thought that with such a dark rich fabric, the green added a real punch and that lining in a light color makes it easier to find things inside your bag when you don't have the best lighting or at night.

Broadcloth lining.

It's a bit hard to tell the specific color of the bag from the photos. The brown really is a lovely coffee color, which did photograph ok, but the tree motif is metallic and was impossible.  It's brass colored. I was not able to find top stitching thread that matched either the brown or brass, so I used metallic embroidery thread that did match very well. My sewing machine has a backstitch stitch that I used so that the embroidery thread would be thicker and sturdier and show up better as topstitching. I'm happy with how it looks despite a few episodes of sporadic cussing when the thread snapped or snarled repeatedly.

Top stitching with a backstitch.

I used fusible hair canvas to add some body to the bag, being careful to trim it away from the seam allowances. Bulk management in the seams is a consideration with a bag like this. At the corners where you have pockets, sides and bottom all converging, you need to grade seams carefully.

Also, the pattern calls for cardboard to make the bottom of the bag more rigid, but I used two layers of perforated plastic canvas (like this) instead. I find that the canvas gives the bag bottom firmness but also flexibility and doesn't break down over time or with spills like cardboard would.

That's about all there is to tell. I had a wonderful day with Magenta and Mini - there's something so sweet about tiny baby feet isn't there? And the bag seemed to be a hit. Even Magenta's yorkie looked expectantly like it might be for toting him around in. (Sorry, Chewie.) 

So, that's that! I hope you all have a great weekend and happy first day of Summer! Yay summer!