The Grainline Travel Set Duffle Bag

Until I started working on the Grainline Studio Portside Travel Set for Sew News, I had no idea how much fun it could be. As I said last week, I am now addicted to making the little dopp bags. They are fast, easy to make, and they are so cute once finished. Guess what my husband is getting for Christmas. Shhh, don't tell him ;) I've watched how he looks at the 2 that I have made so far and I can tell that he would really like to have one, but doesn't want to ask. So it will be a nice surprise unless he reads this post!!!

In the inspiration post I did a few weeks back, I showed you how the sky is really the limit when it comes to making your own duffle bag. It can be sleek and sophisticated, or as unique as the one I showed you that was made out an old coffee sack. 

I purchased the fabric below at a little shop here in Chicago called The Needle Shop. It's a small shop, but they have some wonderful pieces. The embossed faux leather was a piece that I purchased at a home dec store in Houston, Texas. If you are ever in Houston, be sure to check out some of the home dec fabric stores as they are amazing. Home dec fabric stores can be a great fabric resource for bags, coats, jackets and even skirts.

The Portside duffle bag is well designed and I especially like the fact that you are instructed to stitch over the webbing and create handles. If really gives the hand a break when carrying the bag.

The bag also features a great side pocket, perfect for storing things that you need quickly, like a boarding pass. And you'll see that creating the pocket is an absolutely no fail process. I really like no fail processes :)

In this week's sew along post, we are putting the duffle bag together. As you can see, it's basically a layering process, so it goes together very systematically, i.e., no fail!  

If you choose a fabric with a pattern, it's really quite easy to keep the pattern aligned as you insert the zipper.

You can find this week's sew along post HERE on the Sew News blog. And if you have not picked up your pattern, you can find it HERE.
Happy Sewing!
Rhonda

Monday Morning Inspiration/Duffle Bags

When it comes to making a duffle bag, the sky is the limit! You can choose to have something demur, or over the top creative. If you think that making a duffle bag is in your future, think a little about some of the things you might have that will work as fabric. An old quilt that has seen better days and yet has large areas of untattered fabric, a hand woven rug, even placemats! Below, you'll see a bag that was made from a burlap bag used for transporting coffee.

The bag below could very well be made from a wool blanket. 

It's your bag, so why not go all out and make it jungle crazy!

I came across this bag in a Sundance catalog. It's actually a carpet bag, but I love the fabric combination.

Here's the burlap bag. Might be a little itchy against the skin, but interesting nonetheless.

 A little quilted inspiration.

Now for some add-on ideas.

Create an extra compartment around the bottom. 

Do you like to keep up with your yoga routine when you travel? This bag has an extension with a belt that holds the yoga mat. Also take note that the side pocket has a zipper and there's an elasticized pocket on the end for a water bottle. 

An even easier application for carrying a yoga mat would be to incorporate it into the carrying straps.

The Grainline Portside duffle bag has a pocket on either side of the bag. It might be fun to add a zipper to one side and a flap to the other. 

When thinking about color combinations, don't forget the zipper, it can also be an accent.

Really make your bag your own by adding a monogram.

Don't forget the lining. It's fun to look inside a bag and see something a little unexpected.

For those of us who might over pack...just a bit ;), how about adding removable wheels? You can find the tutorial HERE.  

I actually once rolled the wheels off of a suitcase!!! It's a long story, but my car was parked in a different area of the airport, one which I thought wasn't that far away. I asked the taxi driver how much it would cost to take me to my car. He said $4.00. I thought to myself, that's $6.00 by the time I give him a tip...just to go around the block. So off I went walking. It was a LOT further than I thought. The $4.00 would have been a bargain. By the time I got to my car, I had rolled off one of the wheels of my suitcase. When I arrived home and my husband saw what had happened, he couldn't believe it. "Why didn't you just pay the $4.00?!!!" I explained that in my mind it wasn't that long of a walk until I actually started walking. He fixed the wheel and guess what, it cost $4.00 to fix it!!! And I learned a lesson :)
Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda