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My just-turned 9-year-old had a favorite book bag that she carried to school for 2 years.  The bag, as you can see, has seen better days. 

The fun thing about this bag is the pockets.  I decided to make a new bag using similar pockets but make the bag a little more girlie.  I had a drop cloth from a fabric painting class, and Alli and I decided it would be perfect.

 I used a purple print to soften the colors on the main fabric, and I played with the positioning and shapes of the pockets.  The final look is very different from the original bag; however, it keeps the functional size and shape of the original bag.  The pockets were designed to be more functional, and I added deep elastic-topped pockets to the sides of the bag, perfect for a small bottle of water.

The round pocket in the center of the bag is created using the Round Town pattern. 

The Round Town pattern has an optional pocket as well as instructions for  a small change purse.

The circle pocket is kind of mixture of the small coin purse and the pocket.   I used the front of the coin purse and made the band long enough to go all the way around the pocket.  Instead of an open pocket, the pocket is enclosed and is opened with the zipper. 

As I had already used this raised pocket technique on the Round Town bag, I used the same technique for the other pockets.  On 3 of the pockets; however, I didn’t use the bias binding on the outside but sewed the band to the top pocket right sides together and then topstitched to give it a finished look. 

The pockets with the flaps close with the mini Anorak snaps.  I placed a silk flower in the center of each snap for a girlie touch. 

Depending on the strap you use to carry the bag, the top can fold over as in the above photo.  I thought this was a great place for a little machine embroidery.  These flowers are Mod Flowers from A Bit of Stitch.  I tried them as embroidery without applique fabric behind the stitching, and they disappeared into the background.  I took them into my embroidery software and converted the designs to appliques.  The solid fabric behind the flowers now allows the stitching to stand out. 

Alli has been carrying the bag for about 6 weeks now and still loves it.   It is personalized and definitely a one of a kind!