One of the reasons I make the majority of my garments is because I am always paranoid that it will fall apart and if someone else had it, it would be a disaster. That is why I always test it out on myself before I am confident in rolling it out. The prototype pattern will usually have a lot of alteration done to it before I reproduce the same garment the next time. This would usually be caused by the way it moves, sit or falls and I would prefer the next prototype to be a better version of itself.
Sometimes I would also alter the pattern so that it fits how I want it to function. This is exactly what happened with this tote bag. My earlier versions was just a very ordinary tote bag. After using it for a while, I decided that it would be nicer to have an inside pocket so I don’t have to rummage around for my keys. The next prototype, I decided that I would like to have something to hold my water bottle in place so it doesn’t keep slipping down the bag.
With this current prototype, it has evolved even more. The inside pocket keep gaping, leading me to worry that things would slip out so I put in some elastic to reduce the gaping.
I did the same for the water bottle holder as on the previous version, the bottle slipped out when the bag was empty.
The next improvement was the straps, I had always put in a long strap to carry on the shoulder but sometimes have to wrap it short to carry it with my hand. To avoid this, I inserted two different length of straps.
The size of this tote has also been altered so it is not too small but not too big at the same time. Basically perfect for Goldilocks, c’est moi!
If the print looks familiar, it is because there was some remnant linen left from my previous project and let’s face it, you can never have enough tote bags, especially ones that co-ordinate with what you are wearing.
It is very interesting how things evolve and adapt to how we use it and the best thing is these improvements are pretty simple. I am pretty lucky when it comes to things like this as I have the necessary skills to make these changes. Being a nit picker also helps but I am my worst client!
Stephen Yong 