Laptop Bag

Back to school is always a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me as a mom. Our home is too quiet, even our dog is out of sorts! After months of summer and basically no real structure, everyone is back to routine (which is good) and other activities.

Maybe it’s because we’re in back-to-school season, but this laptop bag was just the right project (or should I say therapy) for me to tackle this month. It is quilted for protection with enough space for a laptop or other device, a notebook or two as well as a few other supplies.

For the outside of the bag I chose a black cotton fabric with small white plus signs. I used Essex yarn dyed linen in the color black for the inside. Initially when I bought the fabric, my idea was to use the Essex linen on the outside and the plus fabric on the inside. Once I got busy making the bag, I decided on the opposite.

After cutting the main panels for the inside and outside, I layered the cotton, batting and linen. I straight line quilted the panels.

Then I added a pocket on the inside, wide enough to fit a notebook. 

For the opening of the bag, I used a 22 inch zipper, which I lined with fabric on both sides. I extended the zipper panel with a 2 inch wide quilted panel so it would fit all around the bag.

Before I assembled all the panels, I added 1 inch cotton webbing to the top (short side) for the handles.

Once my bag was finished, I only needed to finish the seams on the inside of the bag. I decided on using the plus fabric for binding and covered all the raw seams.

Finished size: 16 inches tall x 13 inches wide (41cm x 33cm)