r/BagLab

My girlfriend saw a similar bag on pinterest, so I thought it would fun to re-create it for her. Probably cost the same as just buying a bag new, but it was a fun project and she got to design every piece to her liking. The shape and pattern is loosely based off my trusty ol Trader Joe’s tote. Inside and out is ecopak 210D.

This was my first time making a bag liner, and I think I spent more time on the interior than the exterior! I forgot to add washers to the shock chord between each toggle… not sure how I’ll do that now 😵‍💫

I know the strap is ridiculous, I made it with some old rope and carabiners I found at my local re-use store.

Let me know what you think!

Sorry if this is the wrong sub but i thought it'd be a good place to start. I thrifted this canvas messenger bag today and i like it a lot but it is from a company and has the company logo on it. How can I remove these letters without damaging the bag? I googled it and got nothing that would really work.

The whole process of making a Sashiko-embellished kiss-clasp purse. It was my first time with this kind of hardware so I learned a lot and will do some things differently next time! It’s a wonky little thing but I love it anyway!

I made this tote for my sister-in-law to haul gear around for her wildlife photography. The camo was traded from Commercial-Safety635 who posted the material after receiving the last grabbag. I had the black xpac from an older grabbag, and I bought the lining at our local Hobby Lobby. I used a pattern (Kaland Weekender Tote) from SotakHandmadeShop on Etsy. She had some great designs and offers some for free on her website (sotakhandmade.com).

I just posted my first tote bag, but thought I'd share some of my other bags made over the last few years...

I've created a bunch of bike bags for my and my friend's bikes.

It was fun to design and make bags for a cargo bike!

I've also copied many an item - here I'm showing my version of an Evoc hip hydration pack. I also had a favorite old Haiku purse that I took apart and used the pieces as a pattern to make a new purse from funky retro canvas.

I use an ancient Consew 206RB and my mom's trusty Kenmore 158.480. Old machines rock!

Afraid it was not very functional but still looks nice.

I received my first and only grab bag and being a bit new to myog stuff (I’ve made a few bags), I’ve never worked with (or even know of) these fabrics. I found an old post in the r/myog group of someone who made a tote modeled after the Patagonia Black Hole tote and provided their measurements, so that was my starting point. I knew I wanted to only use fabrics from the box, besides strapping, etc., kind of like that cooking show, Chopped🤣

The body is made of 500D Cordura Multicam black (thanks to RBTR folks for assist on ID’ing some fabrics). The green “made in Tacoma brand tag” I made last minute from 1oz HyperD, just so I used at least 4 fabrics…the stamp is a map of the city of Tacoma, where I live. I’m not sure the red material I used for the pockets, or the light blue material that I made the liner out of, but that blue stuff frays like cotton candy and is MADDENING.

I used pallet strapping to reinforce the opening of the bag (tip from RBTR Podcast). I will definitely be doing that again, albeit in a different way.

I had fun, and got over my fear of using lighter weight fabrics. It started as a mutant bag that I was going to give away, but as I went I kind of dig it, and will probably get a lot of use out of it.

I am getting brave and using some gifted African Wax fabric to make an evening bag. I’ve made tote bags, and I used to sew curtains, my kids clothes, costumes, etc., but this will be the first time I’ve attempted a purse, especially one I’d be ok wearing to an evening event.

I’m aiming for baguette-style with an oversized upper French seam for drawstrings to give it a cute shape with pulled tight. I’ll also add a magnetic snap to make sure it can actually close at the top without a zipper. Not brave enough to attempt a zipper on my first purse.

I’ve added an image of the basic idea I have ( I am NOT an artist), but I’m wondering what you think makes an evening bag useful. Do I bother with an inner pocket or is a smooth interior preferred?

Lastly, what kind of shoulder strap do you like? I’m Lea ing against a chain (noisy and can hurt) but don’t want the strap to look clunky or homemade.

Hi everyone.

I'm not THAT new to sewing as I can saw simple projects on my machine (roll-up pencil cases, pillows, placemats) but this time I need help on where and how to start with sewing a custom bag. I have few questions so I will number them so they will be easier to ask and answer.

#1 I want a certain bag with certain dimensions (simply-ish rectangle) do I just take outer dimensions and add ~1cm seam?

#2 How do I create inside pockets? Is there any rule on how to do them or are they the same as outer ones?

#3 What can I use to make a bottom of the bag sturdy but machine washable?

#4 Do I need to have different dimensions for internal material?

#5 I need to make the bag "stick" to the boot of my car - is velcro enough?

#6 How can I reuse old jeans for that? What parts do i need to deconstruct, which ones to avoid sewing through and what can I use as is?

I have a rough sketch of what I need. I do design stuff for laser cutting so I understand how to make 3d shapes just need to know how to translate my desired outer dimensions into a workable project. I'm not good at hand sketching so sorry for bad sketch. You can ask if you don't understand it.

Any help will be very useful ❤️

P.S. bonus question #7 - i never sewn denim. Is there a special needle for that or just any strong one?

Upcycling two old U.S. military-issued duffel bags.

One dates back to 1944.

These bags have been around. They've seen some things. And instead of ending up forgotten on a shelf, we're cutting them apart and giving them a new purpose.

Both are being turned into UTG DP Mk1 Slims—built for decades of more use.

Old material. New purpose. Same idea: gear was meant to be used.

My wife wants me to make the bag you see here. She wants it however using a leather that we just purchased that is thin and very supple. Would you used something like bontex to stiffen or should I maybe glue it to vegtan. Never done something like this so I want to get it right.

I used the sewing pattern: 'celestial curve' by ChrisWdesigns