Completed Switch Case

It's done!  And delivered.  And appreciated (along with the extra TP I brought with me).  I couldn't decide the whole time I was sewing it together if the carrier was a little too big or too small.  Turns out I could have made it smaller, but everything fit in nicely (my nephew ducked into the house, packed the bag, then came back outside to show me - this physical distancing thing is getting tiring!).

I've said it before, but I really like the fabric he chose.  

The dreaded insides.  Yeah, so not exactly square or even.  I woke up on Monday morning wondering if I should yank them all out and start from scratch.  Mostly I worried the fabric would fray from uneven pulling.  But when I rolled out of bed and examined my work, it wasn't so bad.  So I spent the morning before work stitching the binding around the top edge.

I woke up Tuesday morning thinking of yet another way I could have solved the lining issues.  <sigh>  Okay, brain.  Problem is solved.  You don't need to keep coming up with all the better ways I should have done it.

Next time (if I'm ever crazy enough to do something like this again), I will do the insides completely separate from the outsides and slip the whole thing in.  In addition, I will treat the foam as if it has no thickness as part of dimension calculations.  Would have made my life so much easier!

The front pouch is still my favorite part of the whole carrier.  I am amazed I pulled the original apart and recreated it exactly as intended.  Which is probably why I'm disappointed that my skill there didn't quite stretch to the whole project.

But - learning experience!  There was a bunch of things I did because the little camcorder bag did them, but I didn't think of the ramifications of why it was done that way.  The physics of the design made a difference. 

Among the things I learned:

• Even though this is a soft-sided bag, heavy interfacing would have been such a great addition.  Everywhere.  (Even the lid flap needed to be a bit stiffer.) 
• The plastic I used to make the sides more rigid just wasn't enough.  
• A bag this size is going to take at least two yards of fabric.  For goodness sake, buy an extra half yard to boot.
• If there's more than one mark on the fabric, double check you're lining up on the correct center marking before stitching it all together.
• Making sure the side straps were centered was a great thing - if the weight of the bag was also centered (that lovely front pouch causes the whole thing to tilt forward).
• And consider where the stress will be - the bag contorts when it's filled and held by the strap (again, more rigidity in the sides would have helped a lot).
• Good measurements are key - but models would have been way better.  Like sewing a dress - this needed fittings along the way.  Working in isolation was an extra challenge, but it would have been worthwhile to make 3D cardboard models of the accessories.  At which point I'd have started with the insides and made my way to the outside.  

The bag is handsome (if I say so myself).  The velcro and snap work great and the top handle is balanced and comfortable to hold.  Nephew may do away with the straps entirely.  It should do what it was designed to do - replace a cardboard box for moving his Switch gaming system, controls and power cord from place-to-place.  It will give the hardware some cushion so it won't break.  Keep it organized.  Have extra space for game cards or whatever.  I told him - he has problems with it, something doesn't work right, I'll take it back and fix it.  I like making useful things, and I'm hopeful this will get lots of use.

Sharing with:
Love Laugh Quilt - Monday Making
 My Quilt Infatuation - Needle & Thread Thursday
Confessions of a Fabric Addict - Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?