Sleep? What's that?

Omy. I haven't had a night like this in a long, long time.

Can't seem to get my brain to shut off. Keep trying to lie down, but -

yeah.

So, I took some photos along the way, thinking I would show you all the process for this, but it's done.

There are a couple of modifications I'd like to make...mostly to do with the order of construction.

Once again I took the webbing strap and big clip for the shoulder strap from the previous bag (what does that make? 5 bags now that I've used that strap?), and took the zipper out of it for this one.

I had a small clasp and some webbing here that I'd removed from some previous bag or backpack that came in handy holding the flap side down.

I have a hunch that I put the zipper in so that it would be more convenient for someone who is left-handed (uh, I'm not). The pockets on the inside are not as detailed as usual...there need to be more pencil slots in there (once again, an order of construction problem. I stitched through all the layers with the zipper side pocket and front open pocket before stitching the inside pocket to the lining. Big mistake).

The size is good, though, and I like the way it feels on. It holds all my gear with a little room left over for my camera, as well.

This one is certainly worth making again, better though.

Maybe this time when I lie down sleep will find me...

Yawn.

L

It's a good thing that I love this puppy...

...because apparently it loves me. A lot. Remember this bag? He ate it.

Yep.

I guess he missed me.

My sister was wise to point out that it could have been worse, the laptop could have been in it at the time....

It's brought about another bag design brainstorm - here's the 'nuts and bolts' page in my journal along with all the things that I find myself carrying these days (wallet, sketchbook, phone - I've finally joined modern society -keys, MP3 player, and, well, poop bags). If you can see the drawing, the one I've decided on is the picture I drew in the middle of the page - inspired by the 'comb over' bag shape, but smaller in scale. I need to make it to fit these things... not nearly as big as the actual 'comb over' bag (which is designed for carrying a laptop, etc.).

I think this one will have final dimensions of around 10"w X 9"h X 3 1/2" deep. I've figured out where all the pockets will go, and drawn the main pattern piece on vellum, getting ready to cut things out. Now I just have to figure out which order the pieces go together in....

:)
Lisa

Whew. Out of my system, at last

It's been in my head for a while, actually since I made my last bag. I saw this 'bagsket' tutorial over at Foofanagle and filed it away for future reference. The last few days it's been like a song stuck in my head...I had to make one just to get it out of my system. Of course I will now have to make more, that's just the way I'm built.

I did things MOSTLY as presented in the tutorial, but changed a few things (surprise, surprise). Rather than re-write the whole works, I'll just catch you up to date on my modifications...

First, I made it with a 10" circle for the bottom, bringing on an avalanche of math. The bag was originally 12" tall, but I cut it down to 10" later in the game as it just seemed too tall.

The inside pocket: It's the black floral stripe in the photo at left - I didn't use a piece of bias for the top edge, I just turned it twice and topstitched it. I stitched the whole lining to a layer of black batting (to give the bag some body, but did not use interfacing). The pockets are segmented to hold specific tools. Lines were stitched from edge to edge across the short width to create the divisions and add vertical strength to what will eventually be the up/down axis of the bag.

Bottom (no photo): fused Timtex to the bottom before assembling outside of bag.

Once the lining was placed inside the outer bag (handles already stitched in place) I ran a line of stitching around the bag to hold the two layers together and keep the lining from collapsing inward.

Photo at right: The drawstring top...
I combined two things here, attaching the top and covering the top edge.

I put the drawstring top on the bag right sides together, matching the top raw edges. I stitched around the top through all layers using a 3/8" seam.

Then I flipped the drawstring top to the inside and stitched in the ditch around the top edge (photo left). You can see below how it looks once completed.

Trust me, it will all make much more sense if you click on over to the original tutorial.


And here it is, pressed into service for it's intended purpose:

I made it because the cats have taken an unhealthy interest in my knitting lately. Now I can pull the top closed and they won't be able to play 'unravel' anymore.


Happy stitching,

Lisa

Bag lady chronicles

The next stage was to build the bag. The pieces were layered much like a pocket: the outside right-sides together with the lining fabric, all on (black) batting. I stitched ONLY the flap edge and what will become the top front edge.


The long sides were left open. I turned the whole works right way out through one side.

Once it was right side out I pressed it very carefully to make sure that the corners were turned, the hidden zipper on the front flap was not stitched shut by accident, and that the layers were all nice and flat. You can see here that I layed it with the outside facing up and chalked lines for stitching. These lines were at the fold of the top flap and the fold on each side of the base. I stitched them side to side, careful to make sure that my layers did not shift. At this point I did a few lines of vertical stitching in the back (between the base and the flap stitch line).


Once these lines were in place I turned to the inside pocket placement. The first thing I did was add a fabric covered piece of Timtex the same size as the base. I stitched it right to the inside of the bag. This will help keep the bottom flat even when the bag doesn't have a book or the computer in it.

I then put in the small patch pocket on the front inside. It's smaller than the outside pocket, so I put it on first...that way all the construction stitching was hidden inside the big pocket when it went on later. I used the same method as last post when I put the little patch pocket on the laptop pocket.



Notice in the photo at left that the top front edge (and flap edge, too) is only pinned, not topstitched yet. That is later. I pinned it early on so that the layers would not shift while I was putting all the pockets on the inside. It's really important to pin like crazy through this next portion so that the layers don't shift. If they do, the bag will never be square or stand true.


I put the laptop pocket on the back inside, topstitching down each of the three edges at a 1/8" from the edge. You can see in the photo that the pocket stands up nicely. You can also see where the Timtex is stitched into the bottom, and that the front inside pocket is open in the opposite direction to the laptop pocket. This is so that when the side seams are sewn the pockets are both right way up.



I put those pesky button tabs back on, they needed to be against the back of the bag. I'll put buttons on the pocket later so that when the computer is in the bag it will be secure. They were placed using the flap stitch line as a guide. First they were put on facing up, then stitched a second time, down, covering the previous stitching and the raw edges of the tabs.



Once the all the inside pockets were secured, I put the patch pocket on the outside front. It was done using the same patch pocket method as earlier...first with the lining facing up and stitching the bottom edge, then turning it upward and topstitching. The front pocket is the same size as the front of the bag - this was fundamental to the final bag shape, and to the final form of it.



The picture at left shows the front outsidepocket pinned into place before stitching the sides.


You can see that the top edge of the pocket is open, the sides of the bag are still unstitched.

I took a minute and trimmed the batting, making sure the outer bag, batting and lining fabric were all even, then turned the bag lining side out and stitched the side seams. The trick here was to make sure that the top edges were even. The bottom tends to work itself out a little. For this seam I used a strong overcast stitch. This one takes a lot of stress, and will be seen when the bag is open. Many times I'll use a Hong Kong seam finish on a side seam that will show, or flat fell the seam, but it didn't appear to need those kinds of finishing details.


The bottom edge was given its depth by the following, extremely simple corner shaping trick:

Once the side seam is stitched, stand the bag up on it's base. Match the side seam to the centre bottom of the bag. This will give you a little triangle. Stitch across this little triangle at the point at which it is your desired bag depth. In a lot of cases you can then cut off the little triangle, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance - but in this case I left it. When I'd put the Timtex on the base, I'd left the short ends open. Once the bag was turned right side out I just tucked those little triangles under the end of the Timtex.


Here it is, right side out for the first time. I like a bag that will stand up and keep it's shape without stuffing it with tissue.

I removed the strap hardware and webbing from my original favorite bag and made more strap out of the brown batik and black batting. The finished strap is 2" wide. The wider straps are more comfortable. I may yet make a strap pad for it, if carrying the computer puts a lot of strain on my shoulder.

I pinned the strap in place and tried on the bag to make sure it would hang right, and that the strap is long enough. It was good, so I stitched it on. It ended up that the best placement was right at the top of the bag sides. It seemed to take the weight the best there.
The last shot I have here is of the inside of the bag from the top. You can see that I don't have buttons on for the button loops yet.

Now to test drive it for a while. I'm never sure how functional a bag will really be until I've used it for a while. This one has definite potential, though. And luckily enough, it goes with most of my jackets!

G'night,

Lisa

In the bag!

This is how I make a not-so-simple pocket. This one is 3 dimensional, and designed to hold the laptop inside the bag. I wanted a specific spot like this for a few reasons...it further pads the laptop, distributes the weight of it a bit better (to the back of the bag as well as the bottom), and keeps it from flopping around inside the bag. Please ignore the button loops on the top of this pocket in the photos, I later removed them when I realized they were in the wrong place.

The method below is only for pockets that are the same depth on the sides as the bottom.

So. To start, I worked out the width of the pocket and the depth. The width of the pattern piece is left side + front width+ right side + seam allowances (1/4" each side). The height of the pattern piece is bottom depth+ front height + seam allowances. I then cut out the bottom corners - the measurement for the notches cut were taken from the width of the side ( in this case 2" on each edge).

I layered the two layers (lining and outer pocket fabric) right sides together, and batting, then stitched around the perimeter (1/4" seam allowance) but NOT the edges of the notches - see photo above and left. I trimmed the batting to size, then turned the pocket right side out through one of the notches. Then came pressing, making sure that the corners were well turned and pointy and topstitching along the top edge.

Of course why do one pocket when you can do two? I made a little patch pocket to go on the front of this one using the simple method from last post. As in that post, I left the bottom edge unfinished.

To place the pocket:
Place the small pocket lining side up, with the raw edges 1/4" above where you want the bottom of the pocket to be. Stitch across the bottom edge. Flip the pocket up into place and press carefully. Top stitch right and left sides of pocket down, making sure to backstitch well at the top edges to re-enforce. This will help keep the pocket corners from tearing.

If you wanted at this stage you could subdivide the pocket with vertical stitching, or you could just leave it. I left it.



Back to the big, main pocket now:

Bottom corners...

I turned the bag outside sides together at each corner and stitched the notch edges using a 1/4" seam. I didn't bother finishing this seam allowance as it ended up deep within the bag.

I stitched each corner, then turned them right way out.


More topstitching! I folded the bag along each of its vertical corners, then stitched at 1/8" from the edge to create a vertical pin tuck. Once both sides were done, I did the same to the bottom front edge of the bag.

At this point I had a completely finished 3 dimensional pocket. You'll notice in the photo at bottom right that none of the outermost edges of the pocket are topstitched - yet. They were stitched as a construction seam later, when the pocket was attached to the inside of the bag.

I then set this one aside and made one more inside pocket for the inside front (using the simple pocket method - leaving the bottom edge open).

Just a quick note here, about bag linings: I used to use really dark fabrics to line my bags, but now-a-days use light fabric. The reason being that it is really hard to find anything in a dark bag - especially in a dark room! Light coloured linings make things easier to find, and don't seem to get dirty very fast. The bonus about making this style bag is that I can throw it in the washer if I need to, too.

Cheers,

Lisa

As promised...

Here's the scoop on how I put together a 'simple' patch pocket for my quilted bags. You can see I had pieced the front, what I want to be the outside of the pocket...using some of that yummy strip pieced fabric among others. This is made the desired size plus seam allowances, 1/4" on each edge (the pocket finished measurements are the same size as the projected front of the bag. It'll help to give the bag dimension, body and a defined shape).

Next step is to layer the batting, outside of pocket and lining (last two layers right sides together). The lining and batting (in this case) are cut to the same size as the pocket. The reason I put the batting on the bottom is that I find the pocket and lining layer don't crawl on each other as badly as they do if they're on the bottom, so the pocket is less likely to come out trapezoidal.

Next, I stitched around the left, top and right sides (using my 1/4" seam allowance) - NOT the bottom edge. I clipped the corners, then turned the pocket right side out.

Once the pocket was turned right side out, ran a topstitch line across the top edge (this one was at 1/4" from the top, sometimes I do a different placement). At this stage I'll usually stitch some vertical lines to stabilize the piece and to emphasize the quilted texture...and most of all to help give the pocket vertical strength. In the early days of my bag making, I had a lot of difficulty with pockets sagging. Since doing the vertical stitching - almost not at all!

That's the basic method that I use. For this particular bag I made a smaller patch pocket to fit on the main front pocket (somewhere for my pen, and hotel room keys to go). With a bit of careful measuring it fit right in the middle, on the centre brown stripe.

In order to stitch that smaller pocket on I matched the raw edges at the bottom edge with the main pocket, then stitched from the bottom edge up each side of the small pocket (1/8") catching the edge of the small pocket, then continuing right on up to the top of the main pocket. (More of that re-enforcing vertical stitching!) Then I measured in and drew two chalk lines for pencil/pen slots. They were stitched the same way, from the bottom to the top, right on up and over the top edge of the small pocket (I do often backstitch here, as this is the place that gets the most strain) and right on up to the top edge of the main pocket.

I'll often layer pockets in this way. You'll see more of that with the pockets designed for the inside of the bag.

A little tip for really nice topstitching that I learned a long time ago was to use the blind hem foot, move the needle position over until it is about 1/8" to the left of the foot's 'fence'. Run the fabric under the foot so that the edge is against the 'fence' and the stitching will be on the left of that edge by 1/8". It's a slick trick, and works almost every time.You don't have to be so worried about following a seam guide, as the fence acts as a physical one for you. It is especially helpful for topstitching things like this where you can't see your usual seam guides on the machine bed.

For this (and most of my bags) I make the pockets all first, then put the whole works together at the end. This pocket (the bottom edge is still unfinished at this stage) was now put aside.

I guess my last post wouldn't be called a 'teaser' if all you wanted to see was the finished bag! I kind of gave the game away, with that.... You'll see, though, that there's a lot more to this than the final product. Man, I love process.

Cheers,

Lisa

A teaser....

I couldn't stand it. I had to finish it. It was just going so....so....so well. Don't worry, I'll post all the in-between stages later. I just had to put the photos up. It still needs clasps of some kind on the front flap, and on the inside laptop pocket. I'll think about those for a while...while I go get the mail with my new BAG!



:)
Lisa

Bag pursuits

I started out by making a paper pattern according to the diagram shown in yesterday's post, then folded it together to make sure that it would fit itself - and not be too big for my height.

I didn't make patterns for the pockets. I tend to like to do that as I go along, figuring out where they would be most useful.

The bag will be constructed in three layers, then all the layers put together at the end. I'm making the outside layer first.

The outside of the bag is brown batik, the lining is going to be a combination of some of my minty hand dye (I knew it would eventually come in handy!), and a lovely blue/green batik.

Anyone who followed my last bag construction project knows that I'm the pocket queen! This one needs a zip pocket on the closing flap (for keys, hotel keys, anything I don't really want to have to dig for).
The first step was to piece the top edge of the flap - this is where that great strip pieced yardage from yesterday came in (just as an accent, don't worry - I'll use more later). Second step was to put the zipper into what will be the bottom edge of the flap, or the top of the pocket. You can see here that the lining is green, the outer bag is brown.

Once the zip was in, the bottom edge of the pocket fabric was folded up until it met the top edge of the unsewn edge of the zipper. (This creates the pocket - before it was just two pieces of fabric with a zipper at the top)

Then, I brought over the top edge of the pocket, my accent strip. This was placed on top of the zipper so that the fold edge covered the zipper itself, and the raw edge was even with the top (unsewn) edge of the zipper and the pocket fabric. Then I sewed through all the layers, stitching near the ditch of the accent strip.

I put the zipper in the very middle with a bit of room on either side as I knew that the whole works would have to be trimmed to size.

The last photo here shows how the bag looks when folded roughly into shape. It will be as wide as the flap once it is all done. The black you can see in the final photo is a layer of black 80/20 batting. It's not attached yet and is there to see how it changes the weight of the piece.

The final bag dimensions that I'm aiming for are 15" wide X 10" high X 3" deep.

I'll find 15 minutes later today to put the other front pockets on the outside (under the flap, on the front of the bag).

Happy stitching,

Lisa

Misc. loose ends

My boys are counting the end of school in hours, not days now.

Oldest and I took some time last night to make a gift for his teacher who not only was responsible for a wonderful classroom culture and fantastic year, but also is retiring. This is Teacher's last class of students.

We made a journal to record the first few chapters of this next bit of Teacher's life. Oldest made an ATC which we mounted inside the front cover. Tonight he'll finish drawing a border around it all; tomorrow, he'll give it to Teacher.

I've not often been moved to this depth to thank a teacher, but this one is truly exceptional. We feel very lucky indeed that Oldest had the opportunity to learn from him.

On a totally different tack, I've started another bag. This one is a messenger style bag. Much as I like my other bag, it doesn't quite fit the bill. I like it, but I don't LOVE it. It's hard to go from a bag one loves to a bag one likes...so...let's try this again!

I've included here the first little inspirational sketches and working out doodles as some of you lovely readers have expressed interest in my process. It always starts out pretty humbly, usually on scrap paper (sometimes in my sketchbook or journal, though).

Part of what I hope to accomplish with this is a bag that will be easy to get in and out of, that I can put my laptop in if I need to, and that is comfortable and not too huge. I'm a small person and big bags make me look like a munchkin!

Part of my inspiration is this little strip pieced thing-y that I read about on one of the lists I belong to. I haven't read many of the lists lately as I've been quilting a lot, but this post caught my eye for some reason. Using the method posted I was able to strip piece a rather large piece of fabric (from 1 1/2" pre-cut strips that were in my strip bin) in 15 minutes. Once I totally decide which fabrics to use with it, I'll get going on the construction.

Oh! And I'll be posting a little fusible appliqué tutorial when I get a few minutes.

Oh! And Vicki over at Field Trips in Fiber tagged me to do the 7 random things about me meme:

1. I learned to sew on a hand crank Singer. This has left me with a deep love and nostalgia of old sewing machines of all kinds. I was pretty young, I think around 5 or 6, and remember making a rag doll by drawing a dolly shape, adding seam allowances and sewing all around. I know Mom guided me through this process, but she somehow made me feel like I did it all myself. I made a dress for that doll, too, and wish I still had her. Smart Mom giving me the hand crank to start on - I didn't put a needle through my finger until I was 25.
2. I ate fried egg sandwiches every day for lunch during my second pregnancy. I still can't think of them without my stomach turning.
3. When I'm not sewing, I'm drawing or writing. I have too many ideas in my head and can't get them all down fast enough. My ideas tend to come in clusters, almost like variations on a theme.
4. One of the most exciting things in my adult life was climbing Saddleback mountain last summer. If there stops being fresh snow up there and things melt, I hope to go back up this year in late August.
5. My family (Mom, Dad, Sister) are all super achievers in their horticultural pursuits. I am not. I'm not sure if I just blocked it all out growing up, or if I really have a black or blue or just 'not green' thumb. It may have just skipped a generation.
   
6. I listen to audio books or CBC radio all day. I'm a complete audiophile...it probably began when I was a kid and would stay up late to listen to re-broadcasts of 'The Jack Benny Show', 'The Shadow', 'Dimension X' and others. This may be where my fascination with advertising from the 30's, 40's and 50's comes from, too.
7. My shop is usually the cleanest room in the house. I'm endeavoring to change that (not by being messier in here!)...and get the rest of the house to be tidier, not just when we're expecting company!
   

Who knew it would be so hard to come up with 7 things?

Happy stitching,

Lisa

Bag progression

Well, I stole a few minutes here and there today and finished my bag - um, sort of. There is one more modification I'd like to make on this bag (and a redraft for the next one).

Making the front went reasonably well. One of the main modifications in the front patch pocket was to channel quilt using the front pocket divisions as a guide. Now my front pocket has places in it for pens, for my batteries, keys, and all the other skinny things that end up slipped into the outside of my bag.
This pocket is what dictates the size and shape of the front of the bag.

Placement for the front pocket area went well, too, but I'm not totally happy with the flap closure - I much rather would have used a snap for it, as with the old bag. You can't see it until the final picture, but I ended up using a self fabric covered button (I have a hunch it just won't last) and loop.

The bag is really built from the outside in, in layers. All the outermost pieces are done first, right to finished edges in most cases. The only edges that are left unfinished are those that will be in the main construction seams at the very end. In the old bag that meant many, many layers in the seams...the new bag is redesigned to eliminate a lot of the seam bulk that was part and parcel in the construction of the old bag.
Another big difference between this one and the other is that the old bag used Timtex as the interlining, while this one uses Hobbes 80/20 Black. The old bag had a good weight and body to it, it was nice and solid feeling. This one is softer, but as there are so many constructed layers it still has good body and shape. I've also done a lot more vertical channel quilting on this bag to add body and strength to the shape.

Although I changed how the zipper went in to accommodate the sides, I'm not totally happy about how it worked. now that the bag is all together, I know what I should have done. Rather than close the opening at the end, there are times during the construction process when I could have done that using construction seams - not topstitched construction. The bag is a bit of a balance between the two seam styles.

I think now that the bag is done I'll add a small straight grain binding patch over the spot where the zipper flaps are stitched to the sides. It'll just look nicer, give it a clean finish.
The zipper area is the main area that needs redraft and design. I like the placement, and for a first try this went together reasonably well, but there has got to be a better way that will give a more integrated looking final product. To me the zipper are looks like an afterthought, even though it was probably the main focus of the new pattern (mainly how to make it work now that there are the wide sides on the bag - oh wait! I just had another idea...I better go write it in my notes....)


The modification I'll make yet to the bag (it is not done yet in the final picture here) is to move the bottom of the strap (shown at left). It needs to be almost 4" higher than it is now. The way it is now, the strap leaves the back at my hip, causing the bag to hang crooked. If I move the strap higher, so that it leaves the back at my waist, the bag will hang straighter. This is something I could never solve with the old bag - I'd known it hung crooked, but did not know how to fix it. I'll probably fix the new bag before I go to bed tonight - I have a heck of a time leaving things like that unfinished!

There are a couple other things that are just not quite right yet - I had to use a narrower front strap than the old bag - The old one used 2" webbing and clips, this one I could only get 1" wide webbing and quick clips. (We do live in the boonies, here - I was lucky to find any webbing at all) All the fixtures for this and the last bag were ones that I'd cannibalized from old purchased backpacks or fanny packs over the years. When the fabric would wear out, I'd cut off all the useful things that were left - zippers, clasps, clips and webbing. This one uses new webbing that I bought locally, but all the other notions are reclaimed from other bags that have been used up. Yes, I'm a bit of a pack rat...just can't throw out anything useful!

I put the pack on tonight to see how it felt. So far, so good - but the one thing that hadn't even occurred to me until then was that I started with a purse and ended with a backpack. I guess that's what I need! When I was a teenager and in my 20's I carried a backpack that always had books and sketchbooks in it. In my late 20's and early 30's, I carried a backpack full of diapers and baby toys. Now, I'm back to the sketchbooks and pens! Add my camera, my glasses, the vast volumes of mail I carry back and forth every week day...well, maybe it's just my lot in life to carry big bags. This one will get me to New Hampshire next week, and that's all I can really ask.

Happy stitching,
Lisa

The slow evolution of a bag

Working on this bag has reminded me why when people ask why I don't publish a pattern for it I say, "it's complicated". It is complicated. I made it up as I went along the first time, and am consequently re-inventing it from the ground up.

The first challenges came in the pattern drafting stages...

Originally, on the green bag, I just made a base pattern for how the shape would be, made one copy for front, used it also for the back, then slowly cut down the original pattern as I went to make things like pockets, etc. As I am here making this bag again, I thought it would be best to draft each pattern piece. As you can see in the photo at right, it meant many layers of tracing. (Not including the logistics of figuring out how the new fabric that will make the sides and bottom will not interfere with the over all shape and hang of the bag!)
The first seam has been done twice (once with zipper inserted, now without)- and to add to the complications, the main background and lining fabric I'm using - well, I'm using the back side of it as if it were the right side. Some times 'right sides together' doesn't mean, well, right sides together. Sometimes it means 'wrong sides together'.

You can see in the two photos below how the MP3player pocket didn't quite go as originally planned, either...as it turned out there was too much extra room in the pocket, so I had to put in some pin tuck folds on the fly after the pocket was attached to the back.

It was well worth it, though, as my Zen fits in quite comfortably now and will not 'slosh' around in the pocket. If I ever own a cell phone, I'll probably build in a similar cell phone pocket. The Zen pocket is on the outside of the back of the bag and should (all things working as they should) rest against my lower back when the bag is completed.

The main back construction is done. On to the front!

Lisa

Bag lady blues

This is my all time favorite bag.

Sadly, after 2+ years of faithful, daily service, it is wearing out (and truth be told, I'm outgrowing it a bit, too - sniff!).

It is by far the most successful bag I've ever made function and comfort-wise, and as I'm a rather small person, in proportion to my frame - these huge bags that are all the rage right now make me look like a toddler waiting with her mother's luggage!

I've got to make a new one - preferably before we go away on Monday...so (taking my Mother's advice) I'm recording the redesign process.

Things I like about my bag:

1. Size. It fits my frame well and is very comfortable to wear.
   
2. the adjustable length strap in front - this is partly what makes it so functional: I can lengthen the strap to fit over my winter coat, or shorten it in the summer time.
3. Colour! Believe it or not, it goes with almost all my jackets/sweaters - it's not too vocal, but colourful enough that I still love it after all this daily use.
4. The little pockets that are just the right size for my spare batteries, pencil, keys, etc. They were made specifically for those functions and should be included in the new version
5. Separate zipper(larger) area and smaller button closure area. Keeps me somewhat(!) organized.
   

Things that need to change:

1. Size. Much as I love how big it is, I need to make it bigger...there's just too much to carry around these days! Sure it was great when all I needed was my wallet, keys and sketchbook...but now I'm carrying my camera, glasses case, etc. I think I can add more width without becoming dwarfed by it. - It would be nice to pick up the mail without needing to take a separate bag.
   
2. It needs a flat bottom. (This will probably help solve the space dilemma) I can't set it down without it falling over.
3. Needs more specialized pockets (at very least an external one for my MP3 player), and the pencil pockets need to be deeper.
4. Fresh colours. I love these fabrics - they've served me well, but it's time for a change!!

The size dilemma can be solved in a couple of ways. I think adding a couple more inches to the width and a 'D' shaped bottom will help (imagine the flat of the D against the lower back so that most of the fullness is out from the body). Maybe I'll change where the angle begins to run up toward the strap...making the largest width deeper.
Food for thought, anyway. I'll try to get a chance to work on this a little later.

Hope you're finding time for stitching!

Lisa