Noodlehead's Cargo Duffel Revisited
A few years ago I stumbled across the Cargo Duffel by Noodlehead. (It's a free pattern Anna did for Robert Kauffman fabrics). I fell in love with the pattern and with the idea of making myself a duffel bag, because let's face it who doesn't need another bag! I loved it so much I made two....and then promptly gave them as Christmas gifts to my Sister-in-Laws.....leaving me bag-less...whomp, whomp!
So, fast forward to May 2018 and the arrival of my Quilter's Candy Box. (For those of you that don't know what the Quilter's Candy Box is, it's a monthly subscription box filled with lovely goodies and treats!
The May '18 box came with a fat quarter bundle of Marueen Cracknell's new line Flower Child. The colors and prints are so whimsical and boho chic, and my mind was already in beach vacation mode, so what a perfect time to finally make myself a Cargo Duffel!
The bag took me a few hours over the course of several days and I was confident that it would not be any problem because, well.....I had already made two of them. But in deciding to change a few things, I did find that there was a bit of a learning curve.
The biggest challenge this time around was the use of faux leather for the snap panel pocket flaps and the bottom gusset. I have never sewn with faux leather (or any kind of leather for that matter).....and while I have been meaning to try it, a small first project might have been a better idea. The faux leather actually had a lot of give to it. I found that I had to be very careful when sewing it so that it didn't move or grow, which was a total surprise. The other thing with that choice in fabrics is that I didn't quilt the bottom gusset. I didn't think I would need to with such a sturdy material, but I actually prefer the quilted bottom gusset to the leather, because with the bottom quilted, the bag holds it's shape better.
The only other change to the pattern that I made was the addition of a lining. I actually found a lot of help on this and followed the tutorial by Skirt as Top. I think the bag really benefits from a lining and the ability to be able to customized that to fit your needs is a huge bonus!
I have to say even though I'm not sure leather is my best friend......I adore the look of it paired with the Flower Child fabrics and I'm super pleased with how the bag turned out. I'm going to make several more.....and this time I'm going to try and remember the shoulder strap that I wanted to add....and forgot until after the bag was 100% together!
So, fast forward to May 2018 and the arrival of my Quilter's Candy Box. (For those of you that don't know what the Quilter's Candy Box is, it's a monthly subscription box filled with lovely goodies and treats!
The May '18 box came with a fat quarter bundle of Marueen Cracknell's new line Flower Child. The colors and prints are so whimsical and boho chic, and my mind was already in beach vacation mode, so what a perfect time to finally make myself a Cargo Duffel!
The bag took me a few hours over the course of several days and I was confident that it would not be any problem because, well.....I had already made two of them. But in deciding to change a few things, I did find that there was a bit of a learning curve.
The biggest challenge this time around was the use of faux leather for the snap panel pocket flaps and the bottom gusset. I have never sewn with faux leather (or any kind of leather for that matter).....and while I have been meaning to try it, a small first project might have been a better idea. The faux leather actually had a lot of give to it. I found that I had to be very careful when sewing it so that it didn't move or grow, which was a total surprise. The other thing with that choice in fabrics is that I didn't quilt the bottom gusset. I didn't think I would need to with such a sturdy material, but I actually prefer the quilted bottom gusset to the leather, because with the bottom quilted, the bag holds it's shape better.
The only other change to the pattern that I made was the addition of a lining. I actually found a lot of help on this and followed the tutorial by Skirt as Top. I think the bag really benefits from a lining and the ability to be able to customized that to fit your needs is a huge bonus!
I have to say even though I'm not sure leather is my best friend......I adore the look of it paired with the Flower Child fabrics and I'm super pleased with how the bag turned out. I'm going to make several more.....and this time I'm going to try and remember the shoulder strap that I wanted to add....and forgot until after the bag was 100% together!
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