Duffle bag mania.

I have turned my hand to things crafty this week.  I will be teaching the wonders of making a duffle bag next term so I prepared this one early. I used Butterick Pattern 5581 with a few little changes.

Zip insertion into the window.

Sew the sides of the internal pocket

I added a zippered pocket following instructions I found here.
Do you like my chook lining?

I found a chunky zip at Spotlight. It has sliders at each end so you can get into the bag from either end.

Pin the lining into the bag and stitch along the folded edge away from the zipper teeth.

The D rings are put through a loop of fabric and stitched into the seams when the end pieces are sewn.

The long strap has swivel snap hooks and D rings so it is detachable.

This bag is nice and roomy and could easily fit everything needed for a weekend away.
I hope the students can master the tricky bits that they will encounter.  Putting in the zip was very easy but sewing the end pieces required pivoting on the corners and snipping the fabric to allow it to stretch around the corner. This is going to be interesting.....