Zebra Stripes

A daughter of a friend of mine needed a new backpack so she though maybe she'd make her a drawstring backpack...but she was a bit intimidated at the thought and was having trouble finding the time. So, I offered. Why? Because I like having the excuse to make something I may not otherwise need to make. Well, her daughter loves it. Just cool enough for a 12-year-old, you know?

She loves zebra print anything, so her mom (Hi Tina!) bought this fabric for the project. She chose a heavy canvas-like fabric for the exterior, which was fine, but it made it a little difficult to close. Other than that, this backpack is loaded with pockets and personality, perfect for the 'tween.

I used this tutorial over at Happy Things, which includes a padded bottom for the bag, which I thought would be a good idea since it will be holding books and binders and such. I wouldn't suggest using this tutorial unless you are familiar with making your own patterns, but otherwise, it was really a rather simple design and came together quite quickly.