Laptop bag

My daughter got a new HP ProBook, thanks to the new 1:1 student laptop program in her school.  No, the laptop is not free (I wish), but parent-funded.  Part of the cost, however, is subsidized by the school and payment is on installment basis (which is good).

Naturally, I offered to make a laptop bag. My daughter's only request was that I use a dark fabric, the reason being, she did not like bright colours that would attract attention.  As for me, my idea was to do it in her school colours (navy blue, maroon and yellow gold) so it would look like it was an official school bag.  I already had almost everything on hand...

* a thick denim fabric I found at the Op shop sometime ago (about 2 meters for $5)
* a maroon cotton blend fabric, remnant from this old project
* a long strap (complete with swivel hooks and strap adjuster) salvaged from a bag I had already thrown out
* a black pre-quilted fabric I had bought on sale months ago but have not found any use for yet
* an embroidered school logo that I had cut off from one of my son's worn out uniforms
* interlining, velcro, buttons and thread in my stash
The only thing new I had to purchase was yellow gold thread. 

So here it is...my daughter's new laptop bag!

(Sorry, I had to blur out the school logo for privacy reasons.)

(Close-up of patchwork stitch)

(Open bag showing pre-quilted lining fabric)

(Super neat inside!)

The bag came together quite easily, athough at some point, I was really worried my sewing machine would not be able to handle the super thick layers (Aside from the already thick pre-quilted lining, I had also lined the denim with fusible fleece!).  Sewing slowly did the trick. I wasn't contented with the old black strap so I added a denim strip along one side. I also skipped adding pockets to make things a little easier for me.  My daughter has her school bag for her other things anyway. 

Overall, I am super happy with how this bag turned out (and how I nearly had no new cash outlay!) and am even happier that my daughter absolutely loved it! Yesterday, she used the bag for the first time.  In the afternoon, I asked her if anybody noticed her bag.  She said, it wasn't even 2 seconds after she entered the school that a teacher already came up to her and asked where she got it!

So much for not attracting attention.

PS. Some other stuff I've done in the past week or so...

Purple yam chiffon cake for a family friend's birthday

Coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting