Oliver + S Backpack

I waited for months for my library to get a copy of Little Things to Sew.  In the end I broke down and bought it and I'm glad I did!  It's a great book, filled with projects I can't wait to make.   This is a variation of the penguin backpack that I made for my niece.  It will coordinate with her quilt, bag keeper and diaper and wipes case.  Hopefully my brother and his wife like this fabric, I've never actually asked them, lol!  But, really what's not to like?

The main body is Far Far Away II, the piping and lining is gabardine. It's my first time doing piping and it definately takes a few extra steps but I love how it finishes it off!

The straps are gabardine too with quilt batting inside.  My local fabric shop didn't have the right size plastic strap adjusters so I bought metal ones.  They look good but I felt the straps needed a bit of extra bulk to make sure they don't slide out.  I also added a couple of lines of stitching to make them a bit stiffer and hopefully easier for my niece to get into.

As is usual with O+S, the pattern is great.  There are lots of steps and, because of limited space in the book, less diagrams than a regular pattern but the instructions are well written so it's easy to follow.  And I think the result looks great. 

My only regret is that I chickened out of my original plan and didn't add batting to the body of the bag.  I was worried about having too many layers to stitch through but it would have made the bag less floppy.