One of my best customers ordered a messenger bag from me, in a cute owl fabric. It was the second messenger bag I've made, and it might be time to add them to my Etsy shop.
I made the long, adjustable strap out of a natural-looking upholstery fabric. It's soft, very sturdy and non-slip on your shoulder. The bag can be worn across your body (left) or over your shoulder.
My customer wanted a safe pocket for her iPad, so I made a padded, stabilized pocket with a Velcro closure. In the photo below, I put a book in that pocket. There are all sorts of other slip pockets in the bag's interior.
If you haven't had the "pleasure" of installing a twist lock (also called a turn lock), let me tell you it's a pain! It took a good hour to carefully install it. I'm so glad for the book by Lisa Lam called "The Bag Making Bible," which has lots of photos of techniques like this.
Where did I learn to make messenger bags? From an Australian bag-maker named Nicole Mallaliew (see her blog You SEW Girl)! It just so happens that this owl bag is headed to Australia!
Here are the bag's little sisters:
Here are the bag's little sisters:
I'm so grateful to my customers who give me so much practice at different types of bags! - Rene