Well, if one kid was going to have a new gym bag for back-to-school, I certainly couldn’t let the other kid feel left out. And since there was plenty of fabric left over from her pencil case, I decided that a Star-Wars themed gym bag would be a good plan.
The Jeni Gym Bag sewing pattern by I’m A GingerMonkey, sewn by The Finished Garment
This is a super easy pattern (and free!). It’s also very quick to sew.
I used green cording to match the lining.
I wanted to use bright colours, but I also wanted it to be practical. I think the purple should wear well.
I used Ovals in Lime from the Remix collection by Anne Kelle for the lining. Nice and bright.
My daughter helped pick all the fabric. And I think she did a great job.
I’m glad the Star Wars fabric doesn’t only coordinate with dark colours. Star Wars and purple don’t always go together, but they do here. Yeah, grommets!
Again, the only (barely) hard part was putting in the grommets. I did a practice run first, but these were no problem at all.
The Jeni Gym Bag sewing pattern by I’m A GingerMonkey, sewn by The Finished Garment
Character Names in Multi from the Star Wars II collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM for Camelot Cottons.
Kona solid (could this be Plum?) by Robert Kaufman.
Ovals in Lime from the Remix collection by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman.
Sizes: One size fits most. The finished bag is 14″ x 17″.
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: None.
Results: Great.
A little big, but room to grow.
Just to be clear: The Star Wars name is trademarked by Lucasfilm Ltd. and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The gym bag shown here is not an official licensed product and is not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!
This year I did quite a bit of back-to-school sewing. With two kids in school there is just so much to buy, so it’s nice to be able to make something as well.
The Fabric
I started off with six fat quarters from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles. The prints I chose are Laddies Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Grey. These are just so darn cute! When my little boy saw them he was over the moon. These are really fun prints and the fabric is organic, which is always nice.
The Before shot: Laddies Poppets, Sea Critters, and The Fleet in Grey from the Seven Seas collection by Michéle Brummer Everett for Cloud9 Fabrics, courtesy Warp & Weft Exquisite Textiles.
The Jeni Gym Bag sewing pattern by I’m A GingerMonkey
This is a free online tutorial (with a super convenient PDF download). The directions are very clear and easy to follow.
Looks a bit like a superhero cape when it’s empty.
The tutorial makes a lined drawstring bag that is kid-sized. It’s a little big on my 5-year-old but not so big it looks silly. Just big enough that it will last a while though.
I used The Fleet in Grey to line the bag.
I used white cording for the drawstring, but you could also use ribbon, homemade bias binding stitched closed, etc.
Easy for little hands to open.
There is plenty of room inside for sneakers and a change of clothes.
Love how one of the little poppets appears to have already walked the plank!
The toughest part of the pattern was installing grommets (which really were not that hard to install). Much easier than eyelets, if you’ve ever had to use those, because the grommets are so much larger and more stable when you whack them with a hammer. You do need a special grommet tool though.
Another shot of my awesome grommet.
My son really likes the sea creatures and the colours. It’s really hard to find fabric for boys that isn’t too babyish, or too serious, or too dark. These prints are bright and fun and and the bag was a big hit.
Just one more grommet pic. Really though, check out that great grommet!
I’m really happy with this bag. It’s just so much cuter than anything I could buy in the store. And it was super quick to make. In case, ahem, you have to make one the day before school starts because your summer was just too crazy (just saying).
The Jeni Gym Bag sewing pattern by I’m A GingerMonkey, sewn by The Finished Garment
Sizes: One size fits most. The finished bag is 14″ x 17″.
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: None.
Results: Great.
Well now, what could this be?
Once the rightful owner was conveniently out of the way, there was some unauthorized testing. (And no, I do not normally allow my infant children to play with drawstring bags for obvious reasons).
All my kids love Star Wars, but especially my daughter. One day she came home telling me that the boys at school let her play Star Wars with them, but they said she could “only be the princess”. Hmmmm. I was not impressed.
Of course I had to explain that Princess Leia is not “just” a princess. She is a leader in the rebellion (which means she gets to tell everyone else what to do), an important diplomat and politician, a spy, and a princess with magic powers. Most of the other characters don’t even have real jobs, unless you count smuggler and rebel as jobs. Princess Leia is pretty kickass, if you ask me.
So when I let my daughter pick her own fabric for a back-to-school pencil case, Star Wars it was!
Zip bag for back-to-school
Of course the problem with Star Wars isn’t just the kids at school, it’s also whichever marketing executive is in charge of licensing their merchandise, and who isn’t taking girls into consideration.
The Fabric
The fabric I used is Star Wars Character Names in Multi from the Star Wars II collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM for Camelot Cottons. It’s official licensed fabric and has the names of eight characters on it. How many are women? Just one. (Though I suppose the ewok could go either way.) I picked this up at my local chain store, but you can get it online and there are a few different prints.
At least Princess Leia was on the fabric. This summer we visited the Star Wars Identities exhibit at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. It was lots of fun. If you get a chance you should definitely go. And of course there were tons of toys for sale, since Star Wars and merchandising go hand in hand – but no female characters. There was only a bobblehead Princess Leia, (which broke on the car ride home) but that was it. Playskool makes a cute set of figurines that were for sale and that are way more age appropriate, but they make no women Star Wars characters at all.
It’s definitely something my daughter notices. She likes Cars (the movie), Planes, Star Wars, but when we go to the toy store there’s nothing for her, despite the fact that all those movies have smart, interesting female characters. But then those characters aren’t made into toys, and if they are, they are extremely hard to find. I suppose some marketing exec would argue that the female characters don’t sell, but that is especially true when you don’t make any.
So I was pretty exited to be able to make my own gear for her that was clearly for girls, and had her favourite character on it.
Nice contrasty lining
I used bright green fabric for the lining and solid purple to match the print for the exterior. Kid No 1 helped choose the colours. I wanted it to be clearly made for a girl, but not too girly. You really shouldn’t have to choose between solid pink 24/7 and “no girls allowed”.
The Pattern
I used the Perfect Zip Bag pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson! I’ve made this pattern before, but I haven’t blogged it. The pattern can be used to make three different styles of bag, all fully lined, in a variety of sizes and with different straps and zipper pulls. I made view A in the larger size with a wrist strap and inside pocket.
Interior pocket.
It’s a great pattern. It’s extremely well thought out and the instructions are exceptionally clear and well written. And it makes a really professional bag that looks finished on the inside and outside.
I know there are lots of free tutorials for zip bags online, but this pattern is definitely worth buying.
Character Names in Multi from the Star Wars II collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. and TM for Camelot Cottons.
Kona solid (could this be Plum?) by Robert Kaufman.
Ovals in Lime from the Remix collection by Anne Kelle for Robert Kaufman.
Size: Large (View A)
Sewing Level: Beginner.
Modifications: None.
Results: Great. I would strongly recommend this pattern and would make it again.
Just to be clear: The Star Wars name is trademarked by Lucasfilm Ltd. and used by the fabric manufacturer under licence. The zip bag shown here is not an official licensed product and is not available for sale. But you can always buy some fabric and make your own!
