i loved the colour combination from my self-drafted bag so much that i decided to use the same palate again – this time in a much larger project! ski week is coming up, and i thought it would be the perfect occasion to bring an all well weekender bag. i was lucky enough to test this pattern back in october, but i was dissatisfied with my first attempt because the main fabric i chose was too flimsy. learning from my mistake, i chose a sturdy canvas this time for the body of the bag.

because the canvas was pretty plain, i wanted to add some fun to the outer pocket, as well as incorporate some colourful accents on the inside. in my last project, i used scraps to make blue binding. although i used a prebought grey binding for this bag, i continued the colourful trend with accent blue zippers for the top and inner zip pocket.

making the pocket itself was like a mini project in itself. i gathered large scraps from my scrap bin one night on a whim and began. i’m not usually this spontaneous with a project, choosing to wait until i have a large chunk of time available before i start. however, this time, i just started piecing together fabric and improvising as i went. it took many nights after school and soccer to finally finish the pocket, and i actually like it this way! it helps prevent project burnout and gives me something to do at night before bed other than looking at my phone.

i’m super proud of this make. i took the time to unpick bad stitches, smoothed out puckers, and made a quality bag that served me really well on my trip. my big takeaway is that the extra time is well worth the increased quality of the finished project! and that it’s ok, better even, to take multiple days to finish a project, so i should do what i can, when i can!