I recently had the pleasure of making a diaper bag for my friend who is having her third child. It was very exciting because she’s got excellent taste and it was fun to make her something and collaborate a bit. She chose the Campfire Messenger Bag, but we decided to enlarge it by a few inches. Now, I’m not going to say it’s an easy thing to do. But the math takes a bit of time and gets a little bit tricky with the gusset depending on how much bigger you’re going for. I would definitely recommend using some scrap fabric and giving the main body of the bag a run through before cutting your final fabrics. It was fun to work through making it bigger, and added a bit of intrigue for me.
She chose a denim waxed canvas and a green waxed canvas for the main body and we picked out a lining using Cordura 500. I have had some in my stash forever, but ended up ordering this lighter weight version for the lining. I really liked working with it! It’s so nice and stable and water resistant which makes the lining wipeable – which is pretty essential when it comes to a diaper bag. I’m definitely planning on trying more bags with Cordura though, it’s fun to experiment with trying something new to me. I didn’t add any interfacing so that’s always a bonus.
I added a leather crossbody strap, which is a fun touch. I think I’ll make an adjustable for her using a buckle as well. It’ll be nice considering her husband will be using the bag, too!
Pattern: Campfire Messenger Bag (enlarged, 2″ wider, 2″ taller, 1″ deeper)
Fabrics: Waxed Canvas from AL Frances Textiles on Etsy, Cordura 500 (Silver) from Seattle Fabrics
Leather: custom cut from my shop
Hardware: all from Buckleguy.com
This looks amazing! She’s lucky to have you for a friend,
I love this bag! Can you tell me if the original size would fit a standard-sized binder? Thanks!
Thanks Erin, the original size would be a bit snug for a binder. I might suggest trying the small size of the Explorer Tote (it has a recessed zipper option, too), you could switch the handles to a crossbody fairly easily. 🙂
This is beautiful and practical. Perhaps you would consider releasing it as an add on to your PDF pattern of your original design?
This bag is beautiful and practical. Perhaps you would release this size as an add on to your PDF design in the future?
That’s a great idea Tammy! Perhaps!
Inspired!!! Would love the make the larger version of the messenger bag….. How difficult was it to adjust the pattern?
It took me a bit of time to adjust it (was going for the size of another bag she liked), but it’s definitely doable. 🙂
Did you use any specific needle with Cordura?My husband uses this for curling brushes and I have a plan to steal some.
I think it was just a universal needle (size 14). 🙂
Love this bag! Can we just print the pattern at 110% to make it larger or will that not work for some reason?
I haven’t done it that way, but if you try it let me know!
An oh so stylish nappy bag… lucky friend!
I would love to see the enlarged measurements added to the pdf!
That’s a great idea, maybe at some point in the future. 🙂
Another vote for an enlarged version! I’d love to make one for my husband and for my dad, both of whom said larger would be more useful for them. I just bought the pattern and will attempt to do the math myself (it’s good for my brain, right?), but I don’t trust myself to get it all right!