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Maple Leaf Messenger Bag for The Boy

June 22, 2012 by Michele

 

School’s out for summer, and The Boy has successfully made it through Grade 2! Wahooot! I made him a denim messenger bag to celebrate his accomplishment. Tonight we may even have cake… CAKE I tell you. Wouldn’t that be totally clever yet atypical of me? Especially if it turns out?

Yes… so the instructions I used to make the messenger bag can be found right HERE at Sew Grown. It is a really great step-by-step tutorial. Super-easy to follow! I pretty much did as I was told mostly sort of. Since I was re-using old jeans, I incorporated some aspects of the original jeans in the bag. For example, the back pocket on the bag is actually a back pocket. Yuh-huh. And the strap is just the cut off waistband with belt loops left in place. Tricky.

 

The recipe called for D-rings, but incredibly I couldn’t find any in the stash so I had to improvise. I cut off the opening of a shampoo bottle twice which yielded two tough plastic rings ideal for the job. They resemble eyes, don’t you think? Look, they’re sizing you up I think.

The Boy has a thing for all things red and patriotic, and as it happens Canada Day is coming up on July 1st, so I thought an embroidered maple leaf might be a cute and appreciated detail on the front flap there. I certainly hope he likes it. One can never tell.

Oh, by the way, today is link-up day for June’s Patriotic Point of View…

Point of View: A Creative Collaboration

And I’m playing along here!  Have you ever made anything with a patriotic theme? Well, head on over there and link that baby up!

♥M

Filed Under: denim, reuse, sewing Tagged With: accessories, bag, crafts, embroidery, jeans, re-use, recycling

Previous Post: « Again. If you can believe it.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stacey says

    June 22, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    Oh, wow, this is amazing! I'm sure the Boy just loves it. I'm always thrilled to see a good boy project on the web.

  2. Michelle L. says

    June 22, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    Ooh, I love how you personalized the project! The rings are so cool – why would you need store-bought D-rings when trash exists and you are Michele Pacey? Um, you just wouldn't. I esp. love that the bag is masculine but decorative as well – you always perform that difficult balancing act when making something for one of your guys.

  3. Carol, The Answer Is Chocolate says

    June 22, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    What a fantastic bag and I'm sure your son is thrilled with it. As always, great use of on hand materials.

  4. Sew Create It - Jane says

    June 22, 2012 at 3:34 pm

    That is way cool! :o) As a fellow Canadian I'd love to sport a bag like that!

  5. Melissa says

    June 22, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    Sweetness – I always keep the belt loops at the top of my bags – I like the idea of using them for the strap…

  6. felicity says

    June 22, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    This is Seriously and Extremely cool! Wow! I especially love the embroidered maple leaf but the whole thing is awesome.

  7. Amy Castillo says

    June 22, 2012 at 11:24 pm

    hooray for making do with what you have! well done, indeed.

    • Anonymous says

      July 4, 2012 at 6:03 am

      how do you do it and what do you need please reply quik

    • Anonymous says

      July 4, 2012 at 6:04 am

      quick sorry lol

  8. Alessandra says

    June 23, 2012 at 1:56 am

    love the satchel!! such a thoughtful gift!!
    When I was a little girl (from 10 months old until 6 years old) I used to live in Calgary with my family! I remember i was obsessed, too, with the maple leaf!!! I used even to sing the Canadian anthem each time it was on tv !!!
    xxxx Alessandra

    • Anonymous says

      July 4, 2012 at 6:05 am

      post some more crafts i love purses watchs books walets

    • Anonymous says

      July 4, 2012 at 6:06 am

      lol omg o my gosh

  9. chris says

    June 23, 2012 at 4:26 am

    What a perfect pouch. I never cease to be amazed at how you find sewing notions in the most unusual places. 🙂

  10. Poppyprint says

    June 23, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    What a perfect year end celebratory gift! I love it and I'm sure the boy will too. Gorgeous embroidery Michele!

  11. liniecat says

    June 23, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    A really smashing bag, bonus to use recycled jeans with abit of patriotism too……..love the strap lol

  12. the salvage collection says

    June 23, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    why, oh, why can't i be your next door neighbor??????

  13. KJ@letsgoflyakite says

    June 23, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Beautiful work!!! yeah for maple leaves!

  14. Melissa Kojima says

    June 23, 2012 at 6:36 pm

    Wow! It's awesome! Such a clever use of the denim. And I love the embroidered maple leaf. I hope he enjoys it. Congrats for finishing the 2nd grade! And hope your cake turns out!

  15. thingsforboys says

    June 24, 2012 at 4:24 am

    Love it! I never thought to use the waistband from jeans as a strap. I always cut up bits and sewed straps together. Great re-use!

  16. Charissa - The Gifted Blog says

    June 24, 2012 at 5:05 am

    Great job, Michele! My favorite part is the strap. I hope it becomes very well-used over the coming years.

  17. Ludo braille says

    June 24, 2012 at 5:48 am

    Superbe !!!
    Nadia

  18. catie says

    June 24, 2012 at 5:51 am

    i love this!
    i'm thinking that a waistband like that might make a great belt.
    and i love how the back pocket is transformed into… the back pocket.
    brilliant "inside the box" creativity : )

  19. nicolette at dutchcomfort says

    June 27, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    What agreat bag! Love it! My husband once bought me Canadian quilt fabric in Calgary. Maple leaves all over it. I sure want to make something for him out of that fabric, cause he so loves Canada.

  20. Amy at Ameroonie Designs says

    June 28, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    I wish I had just an ounce of your cleverness- it would certainly save our household some cash, and me many trips to the store. Who knew there were alternatives to pretty much everything- including D-rings? The bag is wonderful!!
    xoxo

  21. Jonie Marie says

    June 28, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    What a genius way to re-use jeans! I love this. You did a great job making it!

    Thanks for linking up to the Point of View linky party!
    Jonie

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I am ecstatic if you choose to link to this site, use a brief description, one photo, or link back to any of my posts. Do not republish entire posts without my permission. Tutorials, patterns and printables are for your personal use only and are not to be used to make items for sale. Thank you.

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