Gifts I made this year, Part IV : Messenger Bags

I want to get this posted for some pals who've been so patient since I couldn't post them until they were gifted. BUT, I feel like blah blah blah stuff I made blah blah gifts blah blah blah they were well received blah by the end of sewing them I hate them blah blah HATED blah...

One noteworthy thing is that I made them out of raw coffee bean burlap bags that I picked up for free at our local Dunn Bros and Alekef in Duluth, MN. I love the idea of repurposing stuff! (You can find these for sale online for $20-30 per bag and there are sweet things to do with them, frame them, recover furniture...)

Another noteworthy thing is that they are nice, but not exactly the plan I had in my head. I really wanted to line them with old jeans and button down shirts since they are already kind of tube shaped and I received many donations for that purpose, but when I sat down to do it, I just couldn't wrap my head around doing it well. It would have been really sweet for the insides to have the details of the clothes... When I still think about it now, it still seems like a great idea, and possibly faster to do... I ended up using some canvas-like material I already had in my stash. Oh well, maybe next time! Oh, and a pattern would be good, too. I just looked at a bunch of pictures...

AND I washed some, and a bunch faded and shrank and didn't iron well, so don't do that if you ever do this... And between each step, I used the 'Stop Fraying' glue from Alene's so each step was at least an overnight process.

So, those are the messenger bags. My family says I should make them to sell, people - both students & teachers - have stopped Micah to ask where he got his, and I've had another request for one via facebook. But right now I HATE the thought of doing more...

OK, done!