Butterick 5054 Back to School Backpack

     There are several back packs or book bags to choose from. They range in all sizes and prices.

Like this Teton for $15.91    

Or this Tie-dye for $39.15    

Or take this one…     for $89.95.

Awe man, things can get high. I saw a few for a hundred bucks. There is no way I am paying over $20 for a second graders back pack. This is the one my daughter wanted:

This one was on sale for $25.00 from Avon. And since I liked it myself maybe I could spend the extra $5. But, it was sold out. My daughter came up with the bright idea of reminding me that I promised to make her a tote bag and since I haven’t done it yet, how about a book bag instead? (This child really needs to be a government contractor because she can cut some deals!) So, of course I had to succumb to the implied point that I was going to make this book bag or she would not be happy.

Into the stash, and I love my stash. I buy patterns that I might need one day or will sew up eventually. I first ran into this pattern: Butterick 5505

But I quickly changed my mind. I thought it was too grown for her. So, we settled on this one:

   

I cut the pattern out Monday, worked on it almost all day Tuesday and finished it Wednesday. I must say it’s pretty cute.

PATTERN DESCRIPTION: Young adult backpacks and MP3 player covers. I made the backpack E.

PATTERN SIZING: One size. But there is a pattern for a small MP3 player and (an implied) regular or larger sized MP3 player.

DID IT LOOK LIKE THE PHOTO/DRAWING ON THE PATTERN ENVELOPE ONCE YOU WERE DONE SEWING IT? Yes, it actually does.

WHERE THE INSTRUCTIONS EASY TO FOLLOW? Absolutely! Even though there are 45 steps to this bag, they are very easy to understand and if (which is highly unlikely) that you get confused, the photo steps are useful too.

WHAT DID YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE OR DISLIKE ABOUT THE PATTERN? I like that it was just what I needed just when I needed it. (But that was my doing. lol) Really, though it’s a basic book bag pattern that, if tweaked the right way, you can really make it yours. I dislike that it does not include the basic adjustable straps that is found on the usual bags. But like I said – it’s basic. I did use a few hair beads for a bit of decoration. Not from stash but I didn’t have to buy them either.

FABRIC USED: Everything came from the stash. I used an upholstery remnant I got for $1.75 from Hancock Fabrics a while back. There wasn’t a description but I am led to believe it is a type of twill. For the lining, I used a cotton with a slight stretch (because the fashion fabric had a slight stretch too) that was left over from a previous project I had done.

          

PATTERN ALTERATIONS OR ANY DESIGN CHANGES YOU MADE: I didn’t interface the bad as the directions called. (I was low on interfacing and in the process of trying to de-stash. So, I saved my good interfacing for a project I hope to have finished before the end of summer.) I did not add the second covered pocket to other side of the bag. Also, I left off the elastic that goes into the top of the open pocket. (My daughter takes forever to put in and take out her water bottle with those elastic pockets. I am glad it fits way in and actually stays put. And for a personal touch, I embroidered her name on the bag because I am tired of the stick pins, bobby pins, paper clips, staplers, and etc…, the teachers put on the kids bags for ID. I just made their job easier while preventing my daughter from being stuck! SMH.  

                   

WOULD YOU SEW AGAIN? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS? Yes, I hope to sew it again, but I know how that goes. It may never get sewn and if it does it will be a while. Yes, I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a basic backpack pattern. But beware of the possibilities and the fact that you will need to do your own adjustable straps.

CONCLUSION: Good back pack pattern. I want to do another view eventually. They are so cute and one can not have too many bags.      

And how about a bag for $4.75?

Fabric: $1.75, Zippers: $3.00, Thread, Beads…all from the stash.