Project #5: Duffle Bag
I want to make a really cool, useful, sleek looking bag out of black dyneema. As a prototype, I decided to make one out of Liteskin (x-pac 21) and with a nylon hex70 ripstop liner. My goal is to take it pretty seriously and to get all of the measurements correct. However, I’m already starting to get a little sloppy.
Lessons while making it so far:
for cutting out a liner, which needs to be the same size as the outer material, do not simply drape it over the original and try to cut it. This will lead to extra or less fabric which will be a pain when stitching it to the outer material.
the lining only needs to be big enough to cover the interior, not the entire seam allowance, but the more, the better.
measure everything! (every single seam allowance when sewing)
mark everything! (where the fabric folds and even where the stitching should be. this is a bit extreme but would really cut down on any sloppiness)
back-stitch on every end
X-stitches are hard, so ensure i do the above points
USE THE LINE GUIDES BY THE NEEDLE! trust them; don’t pay too much attention to where the needle is going. if you just look at where the fabric aligns w/ the line, the needle will pierce it exactly (align the needle ahead of time so it pierces it where you want)
the machine sometimes slips side to side and sometimes can’t grip the fabric too well, so guide it gently.
make the webbing long enough to go on the bottom of the bag. this will ensure the bag can carry any load and will never break.
make sure i cut a long piece of webbing and stuff it into the bottom seam allowance. practice w/ paper first.
don’t have curved edges
only use ribbon that is very coarse so that it holds plastic hardware better
curved elements are very hard to work with. despite spending hours planning it all out and being careful w/ measuring and sewing, I didn’t anticipate the issue with folding edges that come together at different angles — folding it (for creating the seams) creates uneven edges; there’s no way to prevent this. the only alternative i can think of is to not do a proper seam but to just sew two 1x seam allowances together and use grosgrain.
box design is sufficient because when unloaded, there is plenty of freedom to move fabric.
Day 1: 6pm - 11:30pm (only cut out the outer and inner fabrics. no sewing) — Friday
Day 2: 5pm - 7pm: sewed the 2 fabrics together and cut the seam allowance rivet out — Friday?
Day 3: 4:30pm - 9pm: cut handles and sewed them (8 X-stitches) — Saturday
Day 4: 10am - 2:40pm: sewed velcro and brainstormed webbing/plastic hardware enclosures. not sure how this took so much time. — Sunday
Day 5: 4:45pm - 8:45pm: top snap latches. man, why did this take me 4 hours? it was because of the decision making process, and because i messed up by forgetting to loop the buckles through it before sewing the webbing to the bag. i was overly sewing by making x’s and stuff, too. there’s no way i need an X for these buckles, but i enjoyed the practice
Day 6: no clue, maybe 2-3 hours? bottom latches.
Day 7 (Friday): 4:30pm - 10pm: 1 side panel up. took a long time to figure out what i wanted and how it would work.
Day 8 (Saturday): 1:40pm - 2:20pm: 2nd side panel up
Day 9 (Monday): 4:10pm - 6:50pm: finished everything: remaining 2 panels and final buckles!
FINAL THOUGHTS: pretty happy with it! felt soo good to finish it after spending so many hours on it! sadly, it’s not too usable though, mostly because the flaps are too large and i can’t close it properly.
I am very eager to make a new bag out of dyneema and to measure everything out precisely, even the sewing lines, and to draw out how the seams will fold together. honestly, i rather be doing that now than anything else. it’s kind of a weird hobby.
FIELD TESTING RESULTS:
I used the bag to travel to Atlanta and Czech/Spain/Andorra/Spain. It’s weaknesses:
No easy way to carry it when it’s fully packed. Shoulder strap isn’t effective. I need removable backpack straps.
The velcro came undone in one place due to a narrow seam allowance
The bottom is starting to wear thin. Should use Nylon 1000D Cordura.
Hard to see items in the bag; should use a white liner
The side flaps are a bit too large. Should make a box design w/ a strap. No bottom
fasteners:
Use thicker webbing; it’s way too flimsy and appears cheap when using.
Use Box X stitching because some stitching is coming undone!
Lofty goals:
make a laptop compartment
make the hard bottom support piece removable
Large side zipper pocket
Internal pocket for passport, wallet, keys
Key rope fastener