Get Ready to Go With the New Laila Weekender!

We had a lot of input from our testers to get this pattern fine-tuned. She is a beauty - and a big girl! With up to 11 pockets inside and out, a trolley sleeve, sturdy handles, and an adjustable strap, The Laila Weekender is ready to carry all your essentials for a fun weekend away. 

Take a look at Rebecca Hansen of TwoLeos Design's video "Packing the Laila Weekender." She had this to say: "I could have added WAY more inside! The key is I can get a sun hat in there without squishing it! It’s the perfect carry on!"

Let's start off the Show and Tell with returning tester Chris Hawke. She used a beautiful Ankara African Waxed Cotton with a bright faux leather for the accent. The bag structure is provided by medium woven fusible interfacing and Vilene H640 fusible fleece and Peltex f71 for the bottom. Her interior map fabric is gorgeous, along with how she "dressed the zippers". 

Becca Olson of Turtle Trax Too made us smile with her surprise lining fabric. The outside of her bag is very sophisticated, and then you open it up to a playful motif. She says, "All of my vinyl was from Walmart. Interior linings from Threaded Candy Custom Fabric. And my hardware is from More Me Know." She sewed her bag on a domestic machine.

After accidentally placing the slip pocket and the zipper pocket on the same side, Becca made the best of it and added elastic for holding more stuff! A very creative and happy bag!

Rebecca Hansen of TwoLeos Design said, "I used a heavy denim canvas fabric from Spoonflower for the exterior, waterproof canvas for the interior, mora faux leather for the accents and straps, hardware is from moremeknow.com and zippers from amazon. I did not interface anything - I only used peltex where called for."

A really beautiful bag! Just look at the top-stitching! TwoLeos Design on Instagram is a showcase of Rebecca's professional bags. 

Vintage cotton bedding was used on the exterior and interior of Ulrike Puckering of The Busy Sewing Room's bag. Her comments, "...and waterproof canvas for the bottom. I added a piece of foam to my bottom as I didn't use bag feet. I also added fleece to the accent piece front and back so they would be the same thickness as the main panels. Only needed if using all cotton."

What a nice selection of labeled pictures! Check out more of Ulrike's stellar creations in her Etsy Shop and Instagram.

Bev Hacker, a Facebook group member we snagged after seeing her Alyssa Hip Bag, joined us for the first time. She was a real trooper as we worked through a design issue, and we hope to have her test again. She used Nate Berkus decor fabric, faux leather and a quilting cotton lining. Gunmetal hardware from Emmaline Bags.

More top-stitching yum! Follow Bev on Instagram @bevinstitches to see more of her beautiful makes.

We were thrilled to have Becca Lorraine of Cosmic Thread Customs join us again. Her bag details: "I used vinyl for the whole outside and canvas for the inside, so I didn't need any interfacing other than the Peltex in the base and I used 2 layers of Decovil Light to reinforce the side strap connectors. I also subbed 1" O-rings for the 3/4" D-rings for the side connectors, I liked the look better."

We can always depend on Becca to choose a less conventional fabric and turn it into an awesome bag. You can keep up with Becca on Instagram, on Facebook. and in her Etsy shop. 

Rashida Juzer of No 3 Quilt Studio, another returning tester, said, "I loved making the Laila Weekender.  It’s a great way to make your very own personalized travel bag. I thoroughly recommend trying out The Laila Weekender Pattern. It’s a classy pattern.  I used IKEA Cotton Canvas for the exterior and cotton fabric for the interior."

Look at the beautiful grid quilting Rashida did on the bottom for extra support. A very striking bag - and it matched her passport case perfectly. She is ready to go!

We can always depend on Bag Designer Jo Kay of Country Cow Designs to have a bright bag - we call it "a Jo bag". She did not disappoint! The details are: "I used rainbow webbing from Sewhot.co.uk; Art gallery fabric from the Legendary collection by designer Pat Bravo; “Tobacco” coloured cork from MB Cork and teal duck canvas from eBay. I added foam to mine because I was using quilting cotton and I wanted a little more structure. I’m totally in love with it and think I might have to keep it for myself."

J

Jo said no one would confuse her bag with theirs. I said no, but they may decide they need it for themselves! Follow Jo on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

I was a newbie tester this time around. My 20 year old son needed a duffle bag. I used fabrics from Joann - vintage looking decor, heavy weight denim for the accent, and mattress ticking for the interior. I dressed my zipper and trimmed the interior slip pocket with cotton quilting fabric, and added purchased piping to three pockets. This was a "guinea pig" test for the denim. My son will be throwing this around, so it will probably get fairly worn. Cotton fabrics are not recommended for the bottom as they may not hold up as well to being banged around as a travel bag or the weight when the bag is stuffed full. Use at your own risk! 

I purchased hardware from Emmaline Bags and zippers by the yard from Amazon. For my straps, I finished them with a very close zig zag as my domestic may not have handled 12 layers of denim. I am so glad you can't see my top-stitching on my straps!

I encourage all of you beginning bag makers with sewing experience to tackle The Laila Weekender!

A huge thank you to our testers for persevering through our design challenge, and all of their valuable input. We appreciate their amazing creations and their awesome photographs. Their help doesn't end with the finished product - they will be sharing their makes to promote the pattern. They are an awesome group of ladies and we couldn't do this without them! 

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced bag maker, we'd love to have you join our Facebook Pattern Group. Ask questions, give guidance and encouragement, share your makes. Patricia is always quick to answer questions, and loves your feedback. 

Please feel free to comment, but be aware that Shopify doesn't offer a way for us to respond. If you have any questions, please PM through Facebook, or email us at kayapapayadesign@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!