Rachel asked me to make her a custom diaper bag for her new role as mother to Nevin. I had never attempted to make a diaper bag before (and really in all actuality had no idea how one was actually constructed or what was required of a diaper bag), but Rachel did suggest the colours she wanted (tan and a blue fabric lining of some sort, with a bird stencil in blue but not pastel :), with a couple of pockets, divider in the main section), but other than that I had free reign to create. I love it when custom orders are like that, freedom to create, explore, work out, and make something fun.
I decided to do some research at the mall, but I steered clear of the upscale baby boutiques and instead just checked out diaper bags at Wal*Mart. Much less crazy in there. Some people have too much money to spend. I wanted to know what a regular mom would get in a diaper bag, not upscale-suburbia-mom.
So, ta dah:
I went with a elasticy-top pocket. I think that this can be versatile, baby bottles, booties, socks, baby fluff, etc. I don't have any experience with babies, but I know they have stuff.
Bird motif as per Rachel's request... a nice pale English-bluebird-kind-of-blue felt. 
This picture looks weird. But that is what the full view looks like. I went with a nice beigey-tan fine-wale cordoroy. And look, the whole thing matches my bird wall post thing! :)
I finally settled on a plain blue lining for the interior. I looked all over for a Rachel-y kind of print of some sort that wasn't too baby-ish or lame, but the only one I found that I sort-of thought could possibly work was a coffee cups and coffee words print in a much paler blue, and I wasn't sure that was very diaper bag appropriate. And in the end I really like the way the two colours worked together. You'll notice I went with velcro fasteners. I've never used velcro on a bag before, but I thought it would work better in the rush of baby requirements than snaps would.
Detail of the tag and extra-duty X-reinforced strap stitching. The entire bagbody is reinforced with interfacing to make it a bit stiffer and to uphold to the elements of mothering and babying.Hope that it serves all your needs well Rachel. :)
9 comments:
Very nice! I am just in the process of making my first diaper bag too. Out of Delmonte Juice pouches! Are you going to put some diaper bags on your Etsy site now?
What other friends of your's are having babies? Or maybe you shouldn't blog it to the world if they just found out and haven't told their grandparents yet . . .of course, their grandparents probably don't have Internet . . .
See ya,
H.
heather, my lips were sealed! i told no one. well, except for holly and jodi and joanne and lisa.
:)
Great job! She's gonna love it! Great that you paid attention to the details of double-reinforcing and the elasticized bottle area...
Totally love it! I may have to commission you for my next baby :)
ummm michelle, i told you, you didn't tell me!
The diaper bag went on it's inaugrual outing today - Logan and I went to the mall to get some Christmas shopping done. Logan carried Nevin in the sling and I carried my awesome bag that i am not ashamed to be seen in public with even when it isn't apparent that i have a baby. Funny thing - Nevin just slept and slept - we didn't need a single thing i carefully packed the whole trip. Huh. At least we looked great.
I resent the insinuation that I don't use the internet.
hmph.
Sounds like Heather likes the bag and the rest of the family. I hope Nevin grows up to love birds.
Are you going to put Diaper bags on etsy?? They't probably sell too. Sounds like you will have to goi into sewing full time.:)
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