Sew A Rucksack for boys

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     This post is me being brave about trying out an idea, with no pattern, but simply an idea in my head, and telling you about it.  It is also about trying to figure out how to sew something for my younger grandsons because I can sew all kinds of stuff for my granddaughters, but my grandsons are left out.  
      It started with Anita gifting me with some various sports teams fabrics.  I decided that I needed to make something for my grandsons who are ages 11 and younger.  I also had some torn up jeans and khakis that I hated to throw out.  Click Read More and I'll show you what I did. 

    I want to let you in on my creative process.  Then, maybe you will come up with something of your own to create, without fear!  I want you to feel brave enough to experiment.  And, when you get fabric for free and when you can recycle, that is the perfect time to experiment without feeling like you might be wasting something if you mess up!  I am a little self conscious about my imperfect seams and lines, but I decided that my grandsons won't really care, so I went with it! 
     I thought that recycled denim or khaki pants would lend themselves well to a boys rucksack or knapsack.  I have grandsons who love to find rocks and feathers and other treasures when they are outside, so I thought these little bags would come in handy for them as they go out exploring this summer. Click on the photo galleries below to see what I did!
     I started out sewing a little knapsack for my 2 year old grandson, Sebastian!  He is so tiny and cute!  He lives across the country from me, so I don't get to see him as often as I would like.  Hopefully a gift from Grandma will help him feel closer to me and  remind him of me!  Thank goodness for video chats! 

I used a jeans pocket on the front flap.

I lined the rucksack with Sports Fabric!

He is little enough that I was able to use the waistband of the jeans for the back straps!

     For his older brother, Adriancito, I used a larger pair of khaki pants.  

The side cargo pocket made a great flap pocket.

I used some of the spots fabric not only to line the rucksack, but I added stripes of it to the body of the pack.

I also used the sport fabric for the straps.

     I made a rucksack for my grandson, Spencer, as well, but totally forgot to take pictures!  I used Steelers fabric on his! I told him that it was because he is so good at stealing bases when he plays baseball! 
​     After that, I made one for Hunter using AZ Coyote Fabric.  That team no longer exists, so does that make it a collectible?  LOL

He loved the Coyote images on his pack.

I felt pretty clever utilizing the zipper and button from the jeans this time. I used a different fabric to line the pocket because there wasn't quite enough coyote fabric.

I used the seams of the jeans to form the straps.

      As you can see, each rucksack came out totally different from the others.  The creative process was so much fun and these little packs took very little time to make.  Just a few tips to help you out:

• When sewing denim, if you have a heavy duty machine, use it!  At least use a larger sized needle and try not to have to sew over thick seams or belt loops. 
• If you want a certain sports team for your bag, you can find many of them on Amazon! 
• Let  your creativity run wild as to where to use pockets, and the way you sew them on can make a secret hidden pocket as well, and boys love that! 
• A snack tucked into a pocket, plus a coin for good luck makes the gift of these knapsacks even better! 

     Have you done any free hand creating?  Please drop us a picture or description in the comments! I'd love to see! 

Other Sewing Ideas:

• 4 Summer Sewing Projects That You And Your Kids Will Love
• 7 Awesome Things to Make With 1 Pair of Jeans
• 7th Jeans Project plus bonus
• How to Make a Harvest Apron
• A Fabric Scrap Basket
• Little Kids Apron, Using 2 Fat Quarters