July 2008: Bag #1

This was the first bag prototype I sewed. The things I was thinking about were:

Something generally bag-shaped, with a strap and buckles...
Sized to hold two six-packs, side-by-side
Recycling a shoulder strap from an old camera bag
Trying out two types of side-pull fasteners, the "normal" type (Fastek?) and the "Trovato style" (slimmer, more curved on the edges)
A zip-in set of internal pockets, so that new pocket designs could be zipped in later.
Pockets that were sewn in certain patterns to match the specific set of stuff I usually carry around: keys, a specific camera, a specific cell phone, a bunch of separate pens and pencils, etc.
Safety pin repository...

Well, I sewed it, and wore it around for several weeks to try it out.

What worked:

I think the general shape and look were decent, and I liked the soft blue fabric
The zip-in set of pockets actually worked quite well
The bag carried well and was comfortable
The Trovato-style side-pull fasteners are pretty nice

What didn't really work:

The fabric was really lightweight, and without a lining, the whole bag didn't have much structure and wouldn't stand up
Because there was no lining, and the edges were only folded over once and sewed, there was lots of unraveling on the inside seams
I went through several iterations of where to attach the shoulder strap and fasteners, so there are lots of extra seams and stitching on various parts of the bag.