Love You Sew patterns could not happen without the support of my AMAZING testing team. You can count the number of my published patterns on two hands now, but I still feel SO new to the game. With every pattern, I’ve been learning more about design and the testing process.  I have them to thank all of them for supporting me and even bearing through some of the growth pains… This last call out to test the Erin Backpack  came right smack in the middle of the holiday season and while COVID numbers were climbing around the nation. It left my group MUCH busier personally and unavailable to test.  I still wanted to release this pattern before Christmas for those stuck at with new stay-at-home orders in place so they could have a good winter project.  With these conditions, only a few testers could complete the bag, but there is still a TON of inspiration below.  You can also see other versions of the Erin Backpack here and here. This is one of my early samples while I was still playing around with construction ideas.  Detailed information on it as follows (with affiliate links):

• Main fabric:  Nate Berkus home decor fabric
• Lining: Alison Glass Mercury Print
• Zippers: Emmaline Bags
• Hardware: Kit found in my shop here

TESTER VERSIONS

Without further ado, this first bag was made by Jean W.  She used hardware which you can find here along with metal zippers on the outside and nylon on the inside. I absolutely love the fun sheep lining she used  — It is SO incredibly cute! This next bag is made by Maggie M.  She is a prolific bag maker and you can snag many of her makes for your very own (just DM her!)  At first, I thought Maggie used a pink glitter vinyl for her backpack and it’s just regular cotton.  Way to get the look of vinyl on a bag!   I always enjoy seeing how Maggie plays with color and prints in her makes and this is no exception. Nela B. is both a quilter and bag-maker! You gotta check out her makes…including her incredible piecing skills here on Instagram. The best part of bag-making is the at interior can be just as good as the outside.  Nela used a beautiful floral print for the lining  swapped around some of the interior features to make it uniquely her  own! Carrie F. is the newest tester to join the team and also makes her bags to sell.  You NEED to check out her Etsy shop for some beauties.  She  came through with this gorgeous succulent version of the backpack. She is expecting (congrats!!!) and already has plans to use her new creation as a diaper bag. As you can see, there are all different ways to personalize your Erin Backpack. With a change of fabric and zipper, you can truly give each bag a completely new look. I can’t wait to see what you do with this pattern. Don’t forget to use #ErinBackpack and #LoveYouSewPatterns so I can see your beautiful makes on social media! For Erin Backpack Introductory post, head here. For Erin Backpack Sew-Along, come back soon — It’s tentatively planned for March 2021.   Hugs and Stitches! Cristy      

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This post may contain affiliate links.  For my full disclosure, read here.