Okay, so although I’ve only played bike polo once before, it has become a rather frequent topic around recently. I look forward to playing many rounds this summer and decided today that I should fabricate a mallet. As explained on Hardcourt Bike Polo’s site ( http://www.hardcourtbikepolo.com/?page_id=6 ) these is a very practical method of constructing a mallet with an old ski pole and some piping. This seems to be a pretty solid method.
However, I thought it would be nice to sport an all wooden mallet….for kicks.
So here it is.
2 hours later…..I named it Zarathustra. And if you get it (besides that it’s a novel character), then…well I want to make love on your face.
Giving my most recent findings in the pursuit of the perfect messenger bag (now the perfect backpack), I felt the need to enlist an active backpack for service.
Introducing FRANKY(short for Frankenstein), my first manifestation of backpackness.
(see slideshow below & please note my friggin sweet new Mark “The Gonz” Gonzales kicks.)
FRANKY is a mash-up of a large Parcel tote I’ve had for some time and a few modifications I added, including shoulder straps, thus dubbing him a “backpack”. After studying the needs I had, both for wear and for function, I realized that my best bet would be to try out design by adapting a rugged graduate from my bag collection. In FRANKY’s previous life, he lugged photography equipment, raw metals, tools, clothes, and went on many desert adventures. This made him the perfect fit for my experiment. Add a couple custom-made shoulderstraps, a sternum strap, some more add-ons, and we have my first backpack DIY creation.
For my next bag I will venture into a solid construction from raw fabric. But this will require a pattern. I have found some inspiration at http://lemolobags.wordpress.com, but obviously don’t want to rip off his design. I just thought it was good to study the techniques of a more advanced back maker. I will continue to study the design of others and the functionality in my own FRANKY.
I’ve been trying to draw up a pattern for a while now based on my most recent findings. This isn’t necessarily the best version, but it includes the features I’m looking for in my next run. It looks like a big project.
Maybe the pattern can help out any other would-be bag makers as well.
Notes:
A little something I put together for my messenger bag making. I actually just got the idea from the photos Jon shot of me earlier today. It’s bits and pieces from video I had taken months ago, photos of me by Jon, and photos I shot of the new bag today.
Notes:
This “Casper” bag is the product of some hard research and a bit of practicing making other bags. Although this bag is truly featureless (no pcokets or anything like that), it is a real sign of progress and hope for me.
“Casper” is a turning point in my bag design and production. Even if I did break my sewing machine finishing it. (Not to self: get machine fixed.)
Thing that make this bag special:
Recycled Military Rubber-ish liner (with printed description of what it held previously)
Metallic silver padded shoulder (material from an old food delivery bag)
Main strap buckle (for quick release)
Sternum strap (for stabilizing)
Overstrap on should pad (for clipping phone, bottle, walkies, etc.)
Things to take into consideration for “Casper’s” soon-to-be born brother:
Notes:
This is a basic bag that I put together in about an hour last week. Althouh the design is simplistic, the fabrics are flavorful and quite nice. The exterior is a common cotton stripe (off-white/forrest), and the liner is a super-sturdy soft wool (grey). As I said, this is a simple construction bag really used so that I could breakdown the framework itself. I needed to insure my roots before progressing to more complicated bags. As from where it derives it’s name, this bag too can hold a lot of junk in what would be its trunk.
The bag has a few interesting features:
Shorter flap (I derivated from the design I has been using)
Not water or weather proof, but VERY lightweight
Taller design perfect for books and knick-knacks
Designed much more for a female wearer
This was a definitive success. I am very happy with it.
Notes:
This bag is not yet completed. I didn’t have the correct web strapping handy, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. The features on this bag definatley surpass any of my previous creations. And although some of the bag I am not happy with, it is a step onto a whole new realm. More to come when I am completed with it.
Notes: This bag was a lot of fun to create. It was a gift for JonnyPockets on his birthday, Jan 29th. I actually was working on a wholly different messenger bag for him, but after its tremendous failure (having to deal with binding two types of fabric for a shell and liner), I had to move onto this smaller cloth incarnation. I salvaged the llama, which turned out really well, cut from white vinyl. As you can see, the bag is loaded with features including a buckle flap, buckled shoulder strap, and should slide adjuster. I am so rad.
