One Pair of Dickies = Cool Book Bag

When Vera arrived last week for her "sewing day with Auntie" she was carrying a market tote I made for her last year. It was STUFFED to the brim and BURSTING at the seams! I reminded her that the quilted totes I make are designed and constructed for lighter use, for example, a handful of groceries (NOT a 12-pack of sodas) or a day's excursion (a couple of paperbacks or an e-reader, lunch, sunglasses, and a light jacket). My point was the market tote is NOT intended to be used like a canvas duffel bag or backpack and it is definitely NOT a book bag to be used for a half dozen text books. Vera explained to me that the latter is exactly what she needs.

So, I decided I'd make her a book bag sturdy enough to carry a day's worth of Latin text books. Rather than driving to Sac to buy denim, I decided to "buy local" from one of the several thrift stores in Jackson. My first stop was Hospice. I walked directly to the men's clothing section, spotted the denim jeans (only about a dozen or so) and scanned them looked for the largest pair I could find. Bingo! There was only one pair of jeans large enough. They were brand new Dickies in a size 42" (if you decide to make a denim book bag/tote...go for the big ones). Perfect! It was a sign!!! Did I mention...they were only $3.50!

I went home and immediately began the project of designing the perfect book bag. I cut up the jeans and assembled the bag, using the back pockets on the exterior of the tote, found some red nylon strapping for handles, and leftover red/navy plaid flannel in my stash for lining. I made it as large as I could without seaming the panels, although my next denim book bag will be a patchwork of various denims (cut from discarded jeans, of course)! I love the results and I know Vera will use this tote until it is threadbare, which may take a lifetime, as I've triple stitched and reinforced the entire bag.

Here's a pic of my "upcycled" book bag...

P.S. This was my first day back in the studio and it felt great! Temp outside warmed to around 52 degrees and I got it up to around 75-80 degrees inside within an hour. Toasty!