Back to School Backpack

Well, it’s that time of year again! You know, where we all do a mad scramble to get everything ready for the first day of school, and avoid malls and stationery stores like the plague because it’s far too crowded, or is that just me? My oldest starts back at school tomorrow and I’m excited, but also not looking forward to the mayhem that happens for most of September while we try to settle into a new routine.

I’ve been planning on making my oldest son a custom backpack for a while and was so pleased when I saw Erin from Diedelbug had come out with a tutorial to expand her Tiny Explorer backpack pattern to a Not-So-Tiny Explorer. The Tiny Explorer was a tad too small and the Back to Campus Backpack was a tad too big, so this tutorial was perfect; it adds 3″ to the Tiny Explorer, making it tall enough to carry a folder. The tutorial also explains how to create a cargo pocket on the front. **UPDATE: Unfortunately, it appears the tutorial is no longer available. I will keep an eye out and update if it reappears.

I let my son pick everything, right down to the zipper colours and webbing I used. For the exterior, he chose this Marvel licensed print from Funky Monkey Fabrics. I liked working with it because it’s not really directional, so I didn’t have to think too hard for the cargo pocket.

I’m not going to lie, this was not a quick sew, but that probably doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s also not cheaper than buying one; but the quality is superior to the cheap ones too. I made it with Pellon Flex Foam, and was advised I should increase the zipper panel width by 1/2″ so that I could use a 1″ seam allowance there instead because of the foam – thanks sewing friends, that was great advice! 

I used mesh in the outer elasticized side pockets, to make it seem more professional. Just perfect for a water bottle! I’m so glad I didn’t skip the piping because it really does add that extra special touch.

The lining is super fun and since I prefer smaller scale for lining, I’m glad my son chose it. I convinced him to select this Mixology – Woven in black as the accent, for the pocket linings and straps. Both the Marvel (lining) and the Mixology (accent) are Camelot fabrics, available from Sitka Fabrics. I also used the tip from the Swoon Blog to help combat saggy linings when you do a drop in lining; it was my first time using that technique, and I’ll definitely incorporate it into all my drop-in lining bags from now on. You can find that tutorial here. 

The Tiny Explorer Backpack pattern by Diedelbug is a PDF pattern. I really liked the layout of the pattern. There are 24 full colour pictures to go along with the instructions. I appreciated the rectangle dimensions in addition to the pattern pieces, as I prefer to use my quilting ruler and rotary cutter to cut those, and it’s nice that the rectangles are included for others who prefer it that way.  I found the directions easy to understand; however, I am familiar with this style of what is called a “drop-in lining.” There was a lot of what I call “fussy work,” especially since I chose to add the cargo pocket from the tutorial add-on. The work is definitely worth it, but may deter a true beginner . I recommend this pattern if you’re looking for a kids’ backpack. The add-on tutorial was tricky to follow in a few places during the cargo pocket steps, but overall I really appreciated having that free extra option.

• Exterior – Marvel licensed print from Funky Monkey Fabrics. 
• Lining – Marvel licensed Camelot print from Sitka Fabrics
• Accent fabric – Mixology Woven by Camelot from Sitka Fabrics
• Piping available from Funky Monkey Fabrics and Sitka Fabrics
• Webbing, zipper supplies and mesh from Paccana; webbing and zippers available at Funky Monkey Fabrics too
• I interfaced my lining with Pellon Shape Flex 101 from Amazon.ca
• For the foam interfacing, I used Pellon Flex Foam 77, available from Funky Monkey Fabrics