Lazy Girl Patterns--Chelsea Backpack Tote--Pattern Review

A friend of mine has a toddler and is in between the diaper bag/no diaper bag stage, and she requested that I make her a backpack with one strap to serve her toddler stuff-carrying purposes. I scoured the internet for patterns and we decided that the Chelsea Backpack Tote by Lazy Girl Designs would be the best option.

I love Lazy Girl’s patterns because they make sense to me. They are never anything fancy, just straightforward patterns with clear “why didn’t I think of doing it that way” instructions.

The only things I don’t like about the patterns is the tendency to leave raw edges exposed and the way the handles are attached. I ALWAYS modify those two things. To me, when making bags, even finishing an edge with a serger is sloppy. I like everything to be encased for a clean look. Now, Lazy Girl’s patterns don’t always leave serged seams exposed. Most of Lazy Girl’s bags are large and lend themselves to be able to carry a lot of stuff. The pattern instructions rely on stitching the handles to the outside with only two rows of straight stitching after the body of the bag is completed. I attach the handles to the inside by stitching over them about 10 times, then turning the bag right side out, and then I topstitch over the opening of the bag for another row of stitching. That’s 11 times that I stitch over bag handles.

**Stepping down from soapbox.**

I didn’t time myself on how long it took my to make this bag. I sort of worked on it over the course of 3 distracted days in which I didn’t get a lot done. I’m guessing it took about 2 hours.

I LOVE that this backpack has a zippered handle. It can be worn either with one strap or two straps! I also added a nice, large gusseted (for a sippy cup) pocket to the row of interior pockets. The bag itself is very roomy and I love the square bottom.

Overall, with my modifications, I love the way this bag turned out! I hope that my friend does too!