Cargo Duffle Bag

I have been getting some sewing done this week for Kids Clothes Week, but I don't have anything to show you yet.  So, instead, I am sharing a duffel bag that I made for my mother-in-law's birthday a few weeks ago.  I used the free Cargo Duffle pattern by Anna at noodlehead.  The main change I made was to widen the sides.  As it was, the bag looked a little narrow to me and I wanted it to be a good size for a carry on or overnight bag.  I made the sides 9" wide instead of the 6.5" called for in the pattern.

The floral fabric I got on Listia, a kind of bartering site that actually has a good group of people listing sewing and crafting items.  The bottom panel is a yarn-dyed linen blend in denim blue that I got from Fabric.com.  The yellow is Kona Cotton Lemon, also from Fabric.com. I used a 7oz duck canvas in cream for the inside.

I did straight line quilting on the bottom pieces of the bag, just as Anna had done in her original bags, but for the top I did a meandering quilting design.  I thought that went better with the floral fabric, and it was also a lot faster.

For the pockets I used velcro instead of snaps and added a decorative button on the outside.

For the inside, I just bound the seams as the pattern called for.  I know some people have added linings to their duffel bags, but I didn't think that was necessary, and I must say, this bag did take a while to sew as it was - I didn't have time or fabric to add a lining.

I am really happy with how this bag came out.  It was a bit of work but it was worth it.  I think it looks really polished and hopefully will be something my mother-in-law can get a lot of use out of!