The Loribelle Backpack

This is my 2nd backpack to make. This one is the "Traci" model. It's the same style as the other one I made. It's a little backpack for walking & you just have a few things to tote around.

Now, no product is without a story, it seems. Traci was my first customer, but communicating on e-mail between 2 states wasn't as easy as we thought. I tend to be wordy (I know that comes as a shock), and the more I tried to describe something, the more confusing I made it! At last we did something really smart: We both went to JoAnn.com! She chose the fabric she liked for her main fabric (the green & burgundy stripe), and I was able to pick it up at my JoAnn store! Then she found the brown piece & decided it would make a nice contrast, and it does.

I was so happy to be making this little bag. Since I'd just finished the "Grace" bag (hee-hee, I love using the names of people to name each bag!), I knew how to put this together without having to read the directions very much. I zipped along, put in the zipper, then the pocket, sewed the straps and other parts needing brown thread. I got through one of the harder parts: sewing on the bottom of the bag. It's hard because I'm attaching straight sides to a curved piece, and there are so many layers at that point that the machine is a bit reluctant to keep going. Nonetheless, I did it! I was on a roll! I came to the part which required my husband: that grommet! I just don't have the muscle to pound on it enough to secure it onto the bag. I made the hole & had him put in the grommet. I wasn't sure the fabric around the grommet was fully caught, so I then sewed completely around the grommet with a tight zigzag stitch.

I was admiring my work and ready to put on the next piece when something suddenly didn't seem right. The zipper seemed upside down. Hmmm, what was that? The grommet was going through the bottom of the pocket. How strange! Uh-oh. The bottom piece that was a tough part to sew, well, I had sewn it to the TOP of the bag, which naturally meant the only place for the grommet was the BOTTOM of the bag. This grommet is for the drawstring at the top of the bag. Are you picturing this? I just put these parts on upside down. I had just made a hole all the way through the pocket and the bag! It's okay to laugh. Really.

Amazingly, I was able to pull off the grommet, then I took off the bottom piece and the pocket, cut & quilted a new pocket and patched the little hole. It is covered by pockets, and unless Traci tells someone to look at her "beauty mark" (a love mark left by a dork to a dork), it will never be seen by human eyes. On the plus side, I ended up putting matching pockets inside the bag to cover the hole, so it all turned out fine. Phil didn't even complain about having to pound another grommet! LOL!

Without further adieu, I introduce to you The Traci.