Little Man Bag

Jackson has been asking me to make him a book bag for the library for about a month now. Yesterday was an especially frustrating day so I thought a good sewing session was just what I needed. I worked on it for a little over 2 hours last night and when my boy woke up he finally had his bag. But now instead of a book bag he is calling it his light saber holder. Of course, I should have known.
Pouty model face...




It look me about an hour to figure out the measurements I wanted and to do the cutting and then a little over an hour to sew it. I planned to take pictures along the way but of course I forgot. I was in the zone :) So I will just write out what I did and hopefully it can be understood.
I chose a linen fabric for the outer because I like the texture and the softness. The inside is just a printed cotton. I got a yard of each and I have a little left over. You can add interfacing to make the bag more structured or even use a thicker fabric like a canvas or duck cloth but I decided not to because I wanted to keep it as light as possible and I like the relaxed look of it.
You can change the dimensions to anything that fits your needs.
The finished dimensions that I wanted was H-10in x W-12in x D-3in
The strap is 26in x 3in
Small enough for him to carry it but big enough for me to throw it over my shoulder too if needed.
When I cut the pieces out I added one inch to everything so I could have .5in seam allowance on both sides.
The bag is fully lined with a coordinating fabric so here are the pieces I cut...
1. Outer Body 11x13 Cut 2
Outer Sides 11x3 Cut 2
Outer Bottom 13x3 Cut 1
Outer Flap 8x13 Cut 1
Outer Strap 27x4 Cut 1

Lining Body 11x13 Cut 2
Lining Sides 11x3 Cut 2
Lining Bottom 13x3 Cut 1
Lining Flap 8x13 Cut 1
Lining Strap 27x4 Cut 1

2. With the right sides together sew the outer body pieces to the side pieces. Do the same with the lining body pieces and sides.

3. Again, with right sides together sew the bottom pieces onto both the outer and lining.

4. Flap - With the right sides facing each other sew together the outer and lining flap pieces leaving the top open.

5. Turn right side out. Press. And then edge stitch around (optional but recommended) to give it a more finished look.

6. Strap - With right sides together sew around leaving end open.

7. Turn right side out. Press. And then edge stitch around (optional but recommended)

8. Now it's time to sew everything together. Keep the outer bag turned inside out. Position the flap on the side you want it with the outer material facing the outer bag. Pin in place. Do the same with the strap. Now turn the lining right side out and place inside of bag. The flap and straps should be sandwiched between the outer bag and the lining. Sew around the top leaving 3-4 inches open. Pull bag right side out through the opening. Press top and then you can either edge stitch (optional but recommended) all around making sure to close the opening in the top or you can simply do a hidden stitch to close the opening.

You are finished! You can add some type of closure if you want. I didn't because I wanted it to be as simple as possible.

Hope my directions aren't too confusing!