Tourista Bag

UPDATE: Not the Gatekeeper no longer has an Etsy shop so this pattern is no longer available. I know, it’s quite sad. Don’t worry though I’m working on my own bag pattern so stay tuned!

Skip the read and get to the important stuff…

• Buy the Pattern: Tourista Bag
• Follow the Artist: Not the Gatekeeper

Read on for the adjustments I made…

Hey there! I started my sewing journey years ago, but have always been afraid to attempt a backpack. Although the concept of construction is rather simple to follow, I’ve always felt there were so many ways it could go wrong. My biggest fear was that it would be very obvious it was handmade…and poorly made at that. The reality though is you can never grow or get better without failing, so I took the leap and decided to make a backpack.

As with any project where you are in uncharted territory, it is best to follow the lead of someone else. After reviewing several patterns I chose to follow the instructions of Kylie, the owner of the Etsy shop Not the Gatekeeper and her sewing pattern Tourista Bag. I absolutely love how versatile her pattern is and how the bag can be so many different things depending on the wearer and their needs.

My first task was to cut out my pattern pieces, read through the instructions and make a sample. Why a sample…well this is my first attempt which often means loads of mistakes. It is always safer to start with a sample especially when you have a limited amount of your desired fabric available. I’m glad I started with a sample…several changes were made during this process.

After cutting out my pieces the first adjustment I had to make was size. Kylie’s bag is a great size for small basic essentials, wallet, keys, phone, etc. When I attend cons, or travel I like to have a relatively small bag…but my goal is something large enough to hold bottled water and any small items I might buy along the way. The bag needed to be just a tad larger for my needs.

To adjust the size I took a blank piece of paper and marked the center. I placed the main body of the bag on my blank piece so it was centered with the sheet. Starting at the top I measured ¾” above the original and made a mark. Moving in a clockwise direction, I continued to make marks at different points along the edge, all ¾” away from the original pattern piece. This adjustment made the bag 1 ½” larger than the original pattern. Below is an image to help explain the process. I recommend cutting 2 matching pieces, this will make sense later.

The width of the original bag pattern was perfect but I did have to alter the length of the base and zipper pieces to accommodate for the alterations made to the main pattern piece. To determine the new length, first take the base pattern piece and align the fold side with the center bottom of the bag. Follow the edge and mark where it ends on the bag pattern. Repeat the process with the zipper pieces to the top of the bag and mark.

These marks show you where the width pieces fall on the original bag. These marks are going to help guide where the width pieces should fall on your larger pattern piece. To determine this, place the original bag piece centered on one of the new bag pieces. Using a ruler, place it under one of your marks and follow the ruler to the edge of the large piece, mark it. Repeat with the second mark.

Using a flexible tape measurer, measure the length from the center base, along the side of the pattern piece, to the higher mark. This will be the new length of your base piece. Repeat at the top measuring to the lower mark for the measurement of your zipper piece.

The last piece left to get a new size for is the outer pocket. To do this, we are going to center our original and with the unmarked main bag piece. Next place the pocket piece on the original piece, the center bottoms should match up. Using the pocket piece as a guide mark, place a ruler along the top edge and mark where it falls on the larger bag piece. Cut along your line and your new pocket is complete.

The only other pieces I made adjustments too were the straps and the piece used to hold the d-rings. My main material was canvas rather than the pvc leather. Due to the difference in fabric I was unable to leave raw edges exposed and needed to increase the width of each piece. My favorite alteration though has to be the bag handle!

Kylie’s pattern calls for using the same pvc leather…but I swapped that for canvas in my project. The idea of a canvas handle felt bulky and honestly I was dreading how my machine would handle it. Instead I chose to use a piece of black leather. It gives the piece a touch of class and makes it feel a little fancier than a basic backpack. Now that all the final adjustments have been made, it’s time to sew.

Kylie’s sewing instructions were easy to follow and the images she included helped answer any questions I had about positioning of the pieces. Was it a quick sew…far from it! I HIGHLY recommend taking your time and being patient with your machine. Take the time to get the rounded edges just right. Use as many pins/clips as you need. By taking my time, I got the best results and am so pleased with the final bag. I cannot wait to start wearing it out!

If you attempt this pattern and use my adjustments, please be sure to share your bag with me. Happy crafting!

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