This duffel bag was made from a pattern I found on the Craftsy website called the Weekend Duffel by Betz White. I made it with a flowered corduroy print, tan corduroy contrast, and raspberry cotton lining.

Features: The bag has 2 exterior pleated pockets with flaps closed with flip locks. The top zips closed. There are short carrying handles as well as a cross body strap. All the straps are made with the contrasting tan corduroy and are 1.5” wide. The interior has a divided pocket with 3 sections and a zippered pocket on the opposite side. I added a hard bottom for support. The hardware is from Sallie Tomato and is in antique brass color.

Lessons Learned

• The pattern uses a complicated technique for attaching the lining that I found quite difficult. It’s not a drop in lining, but it’s attached piece by piece, requiring a lot of maneuvering of the material. It turned out just fine but is cumbersome. The videos by Betz White helped a great deal. I’m not sure the extra effort is worth the minimal benefit; I think I can attach a drop in lining by the side seams and result in a similar effect.
• The corduroy was bulky in places where multiple layers met, but worked up quite well overall. Next time I would probably use quilting cotton or designer cotton instead, but I do like the retro pattern on the corduroy.
• The D-rings holding the cross body strap keep sliding around on the connector tab. A line of stitching just below the ring should correct that issue.