Okay, so it's not as though the rucksack hasn't been invented before! But I was thinking yesterday, while I was on the bus on my way to work, and I thought it would be good if I could figure out a way of making rucksacks out of the pillowcases that I'm recycling. Tote bags are great, but they are everywhere, and I have a wonky wrist at the moment, and I'm happier carrying shopping on my back than in my hand.
Anyway, here is my first experiment on the subject:
As you can see, the bag itself is the same size and shape as the Paddington pillowcase tote. Instead of two carrying handles, I've made two long straps. They're fixed at the top of the bag, and adjustable at the bottom. They thread through two-rings, so they can be lengthened or shortened to fit comfortably on your back.
The first two pictures show the bag empty. The second two show it with Stuff inside. You can see that it gapes at the top as soon as you put anything in, which is no good. I added a popper in the centre, which fastens the bag quite neatly. There's also a button on the front of this one. It's purely decorative - I'd already sewn it on before my sewing machine informed me that it didn't feel like making buttonholes today!
I'm really pleased with how this bag came out. It's comfortable to wear, nice and sturdy, and it will carry a lot of weight.
There are a few changes I'd like to make to the design though. At the moment, as soon as you put anything into the bag, all the weight is carried by the popper. This means that the load-bearing capacity of the bag is dictated by the fastener, not by the bag itself, which isn't ideal. Mind you, this can be solved quite easily by simply putting on the bag the other way around. That way the straps hold the weight of the bag against your shoulders, and the bag can't gape open. Maybe the solution's as simple as that?
As always, this one's for sale. £7.50, anyone?
If not, I'll pop it into my Etsy store later in the week.
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