process: messenger bag

[kellan_the_tabby]

[A messenger bag made from reclaimed denim — back pockets in various shades of blue and grey line the bottom edge, the flap is made of grey denim, and the strap is made from pieces of old waistband.

Back in December, more or less, a Discord friend was destashing a bunch of stuff, & I took one look at this messenger bag & said MINE. I’ve been feeling uncomfortable with purses for a while, but haven’t been able to find a messenger bag I actually liked for less than A LOT of money, & I really do prefer to get things used when I can. It’s not like I can’t mend them if they need it.

& yeah, this one needs a bit of mending. One pocket button fell off before it even got to me, but the former owner stuck it in the pocket, so I still have it. That’s an easy fix.

[A close view of a denim pocket with a flap. There’s no button, but there’s a tiny worn spot where the button pulled out.]

The quilting cotton lining the inside could use some patching, & I pulled out the foam bit that was lining the back to stiffen it up. I’ll replace it with some thick, sturdy fabric, once I know what I have on hand that’ll work, then I’ll patch the holes with more quilting cotton. Probably batik. I love batik. It should be gloriously gaudy by the time I’m done.

[ The batik lining the inside is various shades of teal blues, sea greens, and pale yellow. Part is plaid; another part is batik with a pattern of leaves. A small spot on the plaid is worn through, and there’s a tear through the batik fabric.]

It needs some modifications, too. I want to lengthen one of the front pockets & move the button flap up, so I can keep my phone at least a little secure. It needs some inside pockets, too. Plus, of course, embroidery & patches & beads & basically whatever kind of adornment I can think of.

I’ve even started on that, a bit. I took sewing projects to last fighter practice but not enough, so when I ran out I thought — well, I gotta do something! I’ve always got some kind of embroidery thread in my sewing backet, but nothing to embroider on. Until I remembered the messenger bag.

[A line of running stitch, sewn with purple embroidery floss, meanders and winds across grey denim.]

I got a bunch done! & I love how it looks.

[ The line wanders all the way across the flap, starting at the bottom right, meandering up to the top right, then arching up and down until it disappears out of the shot, heading towards the bottom left of the flap.]

Next up? Lighter purple embroidery to go with the darker stuff already on there.

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Comments

[stitchwhich]

That looks like fun. I made quilts for the men in my family (spouse and sons) using our old denim jeans and incorporating the pockets. The first one was actually made from the uniform dungarees my husband and I wore during my last year in the Navy, so there were pockets with our names stenciled above them and a mix of dungaree fabrics and denim ones since the Navy switched uniforms that year. Sailors could use their own blankets aboard ship back then so I filled each pocket with a new paperback book, did some embroidery on a few squares with sewing thread (the Navy exchange didn't stock embroidery thread) and shipped it to him while he was in the Indian ocean. Once our son was born I started saving "dead" jeans for his quilt and it became a tradition.

I would never have thought of a messenger bag. I love it.

[kellan_the_tabby]

Ooo, the blankets sound fun!

[azurelunatic]

Lovely!

[kellan_the_tabby]

It's gonna be a fun project!

[danabren]

Our tastes are completely opposite, and this sort of thing makes my skin crawl LOL but the delight you are taking in the item, the project and the process are fascinating. It's like looking at the desert - if you look closely enough you find beauty. Please keep sharing your progress here.

[kellan_the_tabby]

SERIOUSLY if I ever saw a picture of you carrying a bag like this I'd be all SHE IS BEING HELD HOSTAGE, MUST GO RESCUE

[danabren]

*is definitely ded after reading that*

[damont]

Very nice!

[kellan_the_tabby]

I'm gonna have FUN with this project!