Black and White and Carried All Over Bag

My sister travels.  A lot.

So for Christmas, I wanted to make her a Carry-On Bag that met her needs using the Scrap Bag Bag Pattern.  Christmas came and went and as sometimes happens, the gift was not completed in time.

Hidden External Zip Pocket – lined with scrap of BW print

But, now I had time to ensure it was more personalized.  She likes black and white.  She needs lots of pockets – both inside and out.  The carry-on should be constructed with an easy clean base and have a cross-body carrying strap for those between gates mad-dash.

Finding the Black and White fabric required only a few minutes.  Scraps of other Black and White fabrics were also collected from The Stash for pocket linings.

Marine Vinyl Base, sides and piping

The easy clean based did require a coupon-enabled trip to the fabric store to purchase a yard of black Marine Vinyl.  Stash piping was covered with the vinyl to make matching piping for the bag.

As the geometric design of the upholstery remnant was rather large, every effort was made to center the design.  External pockets were “fussy cut” to match the sides.

The external pockets are sewn between the handles.  One is a simple opened pocket.  Scrap black linen was used to sew a strip across the top of the other.  This strip hides a zippered pocket – for anything requiring a bit of extra security when traveling.

The handles are simple black webbing, as is the much longer removable cross body handle.  Recycled clips and rings from no longer used backpacks make the longer handle removable.

Two zippered pockets, an open pocket and some lace

A carry-on bag is subject to less than delicate handling.  So external embellishment is rather limited.  However, the inside is somewhat more protected, so I had a little fun…

The Stash contained both a black and a white zipper.  Using the lace and the fabric scraps allowed me to sew two zippered pockets and a smaller opened pocket on one side.

One large pocket divided by a center seam.

One the other side, one larger open pocket was divided by a center seam.

Lace and Pockets inside assembled bag.

When assembled, the lace and internal pockets add a bit of a surprise!

Polka-dotted Zipper

The Stash also contained a Black and White polka-dotted zipper which was used for the main opening.  It is difficult to see, but it really does have polka-dots on it!

Side View

The finished Carry-On is ready for shipping – but I’m sure it will be returning when she comes to visit!