Urban Backpack With Laptop Sleeve

I started an internship this summer and realised I would need a bag, something that could fit a laptop, book, maybe some snacks. Most normal people would use something they already had, or buy a new bag - I decided the evening before I started the new job that sewing one would be the best idea! And of course even though I have a large supply of cordura in lots of different colours, I thought the extra challenge of using a stubbornly thick fabric would be the best course of action.

It has served me well as a bag, and as a note even though the second photo above looks like it was taken in a rural festival field, it was actually at a free outdoor film showing in London (yep, the grass everywhere this summer is absolutely scorched, the number of fires has been insane) so it remains a fully urban backpack ;)

I used lots of scraps I had lying around the house for this project. The main material was from some banners that I got ages ago from a local film festival, with a similar texture to oilcloth fabric. I also used some thin black waterproof fabric for the lining and to cover the foam on the straps. Over and above that it was the usual webbing, a zip and some adjustable buckles for the straps.

I wanted this bag to be able to fit my laptop in a padded sleeve, and have room for a couple of other things for taking to the office. I really just eyeballed the dimensions, I didn't actually use a ruler at any point.

I laid out the laptop on the banner and worked out what shape and positioning would look cool. I ended up selecting a bit that had a cool wheel shaped graphic for the back, and a pink panel that said 'film' for the front.

The padded sleeve itself was pretty easy, I basically covered the back panel with foam, then placed fabric over it. Then I got another slightly shorter piece of foam, wrapped it in fabric, and pinned it on to the back panel. It was a bit of a pain to sew if I am honest, it all gets very thick!

I used some existing rucksack straps for the template, cutting out the foam and then wrapping in fabric and sewing down the middle. I added the buckle at the bottom of the strap so the length could be adjusted. They were really comfy, my only problem with them was that I attached them slightly too close together on the finished product which was annoying to wear.

I just used one long chunky zip for the whole bag, added a little tab to each end of the zip, and sewed the fabric on either side. Then I attached more fabric to extend this panel so it matched the length of the back panel.

The fabric didn't respond that well to pins (it was so thick it was hard to get them in and out, plus they made lots of holes). I ended up just finger pressing them to make creases which worked well.

I then forgot to sew the straps in and had to unpick part of the back panel to do them! I added the front panel (painstakingly, the fabric was very hard to wrestle).

Finally, I turned it all the right way out, which was immensely satisfying, and put the webbing through the buckles.

I really like this bag, it is the perfect size for a daily commute and doesn't get too cluttered. It is a very minimalist style, and if I made it again it would be useful to incorporate a pocket somewhere (probably inside so the outside remains clean looking) - rummaging around for house keys in the dark is not all that fun.