tatanne bag- my back to school bag

It's called the tatanne bag, but I'm dubbing it the 'back to school bag.' I like to sew a little something for myself before school gets so busy. The kids have 15 days and I have just a few more. 

 

This pattern is from  The Sister Of (De Zuster Van) and is available for free download here.  Make sure to download the English version (should that be what you need).  

 I bought the fabric first and then looked for a bag I wanted to make, which is the opposite way it should be done.  I bought 1/2 yard of 2 fabrics and and 1/3 yard of 2 others, which should be enough fabrics for many bags. That was 1/3 yard short for this one.  I squeezed every inch out of what I bought and the 1/3 yard I had to pick up the next day.  So I guess in all it has 2 yards of fabric, plus some extra random fabric from the stash that I used for interfacing. 

The Sister Of does warn that English is not her native language in her English translated version of the directions, and there are a few rough spots in the directions.  This is not for a beginning sewist, mostly because the directions are vague at times and really require a knowledge of bag construction. There are a few mistakes in the directions where you are asked to use the wrong piece number or not directed to cut out the proper number of pieces. Also, there is not a traceable pattern, she gives shapes and measurements and you draft your own.  The actual sewing is not too terribly difficult, it's the other stuff.  So it you have made bags and don't get too ruffled by some filling in of the blanks, you'll be fine.

It's bigger than I thought, bigger than her pictures.  Maybe something was added in the translation?  Perhaps when I drafted the pattern, I made a mistake.  As far I could understand, you had to add when cutting for the seam allowance, which may have been my downfall.  I would have liked it a bit smaller, but it works well for being on the go.  I can throw in a book and a water bottle and a movie that needs returned to the library and have plenty of room for all the loot the kids add.

I uses 4 rings and I really love that detail.  The straps on the sides are just loosely tied, and can be loosed up should you pack it full.  All of these fabrics are from our Joanns, I didn't write down the names but will check next time I'm there.

I added the little pleated flower with a safety pin so I can change it out as I want. Should I make this bag again, I would reinforce the straps a little more, and tried to take it down a touch in size.