Just Finished my 1st frame bag...coincidentally my 1st time sewing too.

[isignay]

Thanks to all the links, Q & A, and motivation from this forum I was able to finish my 1st frame bag.  I've never sewn anything in my life, nore have I ever used a sewing machine.  I'm mainly posting these pictures so that a noob like myself can get motivated and not be daunted by making your own gear.  I used Cordera 1000 on the outside and Cordera 500 on the inside.  I also added a 1/8" closed cell foam pad for the middle structure.  I used heavy duty thread which seemed over kill and unecessary as it made sewing harder and caused me to break a needle, which may have been due to my lack of skill, but it seemed to screw up the machine if I did not have the thread in the right spot to start with.  But seeing as I have nothing to compare the thread to I'm not sure if it was the cause or if I was.

I placed  A 12" zipper on the top and a 12" zipper on the bottom....At the time this seemed like a good idea, but looking at it now, I'm not sure I need 2 zippers with such a small bag.  I also added some zipper pulls which were easy and make opening and closing the zipper easier.  The bike is a Gary Fisher size large, but for some reason the old 29er's had smaller triangles (this is my only 9'er so I have no comparison).  The bag is 2.5" wide ( I think, haven't measured it officially since I placed it on the frame). 

Overall this was a quick and fun project.  Quick in the sense that it went by fast since I was learning a ton and I like arts n crafts.  If you have questions and are considering making your own bag I'd be happy to help and tell you what worked and what didn't, more so what didn't since I had a lot of experience with that as I was constructing this.

Tools I used" sewing machine, cutting board, ruler, rotary cutter (which I swapped for scisors cause I couldn't figure out how to use the thing to cut through heavy duty fabric), card board for making a trace, chalk, and a thread ripper 

[Mr Cup]

Looks pretty good, especially for a first try.  That bottom zipper is kinda different and I don't see you using it too much.  You definitely have the basic idea down though on making a frame bag.  Are you going to try using that one for a bit or make another one?  I'm curious how that fabric will work as well.  Give an update after you take it on a trip to let us know how it holds up.  Good job.

[isignay]

I overdid the bag with extra stitching in hopes that it would last longer, so my goal is to just ride it till it starts falling apart.  I learned a lot from this first endeavor so the next bag will be much improved.  I did a first test ride, about 15 miles worth of river crossings, bushwacking, and hike-a-bike, and the bag held up really well with spare tubes a 3L bag of water and a pump inside.  On my next test ride I'm going to try packing it to the brim to see how the seems hold up.  One thing I learned was how wide / narrow to make my next bag.  By a stroke of pure luck my knees and calfs do not rub on the bag when I'm seated or standing, but this is only due to the middle velco strap slightly tapering in the bag.  I'm pretty sure if the velcro was not in this place it would rub on my knees, so that's a big note for next bag construction, more proper measuring prior to sewing.  I also like the 1/8" foam pad down the center of the bag.  When feeling around the inside of the bag I noticed the foam hugs the tubing of the bike making for a much more snug fit. 



ps don't make fun of the pedals and the mini cooper, I lost my pedal tool prior to the ride and didn't feel like fumbling around the house for my tools to put on the clip ins.  Also the mini is my gf's.  Dog's mine, can't trash talk a boxer that can keep up with 15 miles of rough riding   

[thook]

That's really cool. What would be an approx. cost in materials for this creation? Once winter's over and work has slowed down, I think I'm gonna have to go in a similar route.

[isignay]

Well I had never bought sewing materials / supplies before but I over did it.  I bought enough materials to seriously make 5 of these bags.  If you buy everything online it should cost you between $30-50.  I spent $100 and have about 6 yards of fabric as well as a two large spools of thread and extra zippers.  I went over board just because this was my 1st time ever sewing so I didn't know how much I'd mess up but it's pretty simple and strait forward, knowing what I know now in terms of how much fabric you need I think you could do it for about $30-50, or you can go the way I went and spend $100 and have plenty of left over fabric for more bags.  I'm going to be starting a handlebar harness today, so within the next few days I'll post a pic. of that creation / monstrosity as well.

The only tip I have is to not be intimidated by the project, if you're like me and haven't sewn before, just take it 1 step at a time, cut the fabric out, decide if you want to go with 2 layers, decide if you want padding down the middle, and just make sure to keep track of how the velcro will look once you reverse the bag to being right side instead of inside out, that's probably the hardest part.  I messed up 2 Velcro pieces but other than that I'm happy with the outcome.  I just wish I had a steel frame so I could have made a larger bag, my old Gary fisher frame has a small triangle even though the frame is a size large I think.

[thook]

I'm not terribly intimidated, but it has a been a while since I've used a sewing machine. You've done a good job for never having used one before! 

Thanks on the estimation. I've got some materials, and probably will find more, I stumbled across for free. That ought to save me even a little more money on production. Wonder how well Sunbrella fabric would work. Anyone around here ever used that? I got a big boat cover I found by a gas station dumpster a few years ago. It still repels water rather well, too.

[Eugenemtbing]

I am about to embark on a frame bag project.  Was hoping to do a one-piece design like that shown in the Flickr set Bikepacking 2.0.  Is it standard to do 1000 Cordura on the outside and 500 on the inside?  I will be using a regular home seeing machine.  Will it handle these layers of fabric together?

Thanks for the advice!