The Ingredients of a Messenger Bag

Here's what goes into the new messenger bag:

- 1 piece of 5mm wool felt, with phone slot.
- 4 pieces of 3mm wool felt.
- 1 strip of 2" hook-and-loop fastener.
- 1 strip of 1" hook-and-loop fastener.
- 2 lengths of 2" black nylon webbing.
- 1 length of 1/2" orange nylon webbing.
- 1 steel loop.
- 1 steel adjustor plate.
- 2 'Actual' woven labels.

3 colors - 3 sizes

The new messenger bags are coming along very nicely.

Style Details

My new laptop bags are not radical, just very useful and - I hope - very nice. So everything needs to fall into place: material color, strap color, closure, labeling, seams. I like the label placement, just above the velcro inside the top flap. But the label should be larger and be separate from the velcro...

Organizing Details

Sometimes a certain detail is so compelling that it can organize the design of an entire object. The curve of a folded piece of felt is one of those details. I'm working on laptop bags and totes. This curve will define the construction technique I use for the entire line.

Faux Computers

These wooden blanks represent different laptop and tablet sizes. I'm designing a utilitarian laptop bag and these pieces will help me get the size (and access) exactly right.