Whale of A Backpack

My kids don't actually ask me to make stuff for them very often.  Either they are inundated with what I do make for them, or uninterested.  I took Isabella fabric shopping with me to get some baby quilt fabric.  She saw this fabric by Ann Kelle and just had to have something made out of it.  First she wanted a dress, I thought it would be quite a dress for an almost eight year old, but no big deal.  Then she was having trouble with the zipper on her backpack and decided she needed a whale backpack.  Yikes!  I looked around for some backpack patterns to no avail.  There are some out there, just not quite what I was after.  Finally I decided to make my own and just went for it. 

It was one of those moments where I could see in my mind how everything needed to come together and I couldn't stop until it was all finished. 

There are things I would change if I did it again (aren't there always), but I am so far pleased with the outcome.  The backpack has three exterior pockets, no interior. I think the straps will need some further reinforcing at some point, we will see. 

And I think I would have liked to buy a piece of leather to cover the bottom.  Just for the sake of durability.  The pack does have a purse zipper, so there are two pulls, and I really like that.

  Bella was very satisfied and will be wearing it for the rest of the school year she says. 

 

The main fabric is Ann Kelle Urban Zoology by Robert Kaufman.  The polka dot is a Michael Miller print and the solid orange is a Kona Cotton from Jo-Ann's.