It’s in the Bag

by Julia Parker, from the November 2004 Newsletter

Lurking behind that closed bedroom door is a teenager secretly wishing to spend more time with his parents. Well, at least that’s what a recent study cited by the US Department of Health and Human Services indicates. Although we tend to think of time with peers as the most important for teens, spending time with parents really helps adolescents develop life skills, adjust to the adult world and have a sense of belonging. But, you say, I spend lots of time with my teenager, I yell about chores, grades and homework, I grill him about his evenings, I lecture him about responsibilities of driving, dating, money management, nutrition, housekeeping…lots of time. But, do you have any fun? With all the activities involved in a teenager’s life, it can be hard to find time to do something together that you both enjoy.

The project that my son and I worked on together may not be for everyone but it did get us to sit down and work on something together that wasn’t stressful. No one got a grade. No one got money. And there really was no hurry.

Together, Joshua and I made a courier bag for him. A courier bag is a medium sized bag large enough to fit a couple of notebooks that is worn over one shoulder and across your chest. I thought this was kind of a cool and functional bag in which he could carry his books, notebooks, or whatever he’s carrying. (Take note parents: backpacks are OUT, in case you haven’t noticed.)

This project can be made very simply with recycled material, a few clips and webbing for straps. It can be made big enough for a few binders or downsized for something smaller like a CD player.

You’ll need:
A rectangle of sturdy fabric that fits around your notebooks one and a half times (we used 16” x 39”)
A 2-inch-wide piece of webbing about 4 feet long (or longer to fit your body)
A 1-inch-wide piece of webbing about 3 feet long for the straps to close the bag
Two round or D-shaped rings to fit a 2-inch strap through
Two 1-inch-wide clips
One 2-inch-wide clip

Directions:
Fold up the bottom third of fabric to make a pocket that will fit your notebooks.
With the right sides of the fabric together, sew the sides to close them.
Turn right-side out.
Hem around the edge of the remaining fabric (this is your top flap).
Sew D-rings to the sides near the top of the pocket.
Slip the 2” webbing through the D-rings and pull about 3–4” through the loop.
Sew the short end of the webbing to the long piece. Repeat on other side. (At this point your strap should be too long for comfort.)
Find a place on that 2” webbing that won’t be against the carrier’s back, shoulder, or clavicle and cut through the webbing there.

Slide the cut ends through the big 2” clip and adjust the ends to fit.
Cut the 1” webbing into 4 pieces.
Sew two pieces to the top flap of the bag, allowing them to have about 3–4” that fall below the flap.
Sew two pieces directly below the webbing on the top flap onto the bottom of the bag. As before allow some of the webbing to hang off the bag.
Attach the tops and bottoms of the 1” clips to the pieces that hang off the bag. This should allow you to clip the bag closed and have some slack to make the bag smaller or wider as needed.

We got to spend about two hours together making this bag. We had a good laugh at my inability to think upside down while Joshua sewed the bag. We had a good laugh about Joshua’s fastidious need to trim every thread as they occurred. But, mostly we just got to spend some time together that was unrushed. It really made me realize how much I miss doing something creative with my nearly grown son.

Sources: www.mentalhealth.org/puplications/allpubs/SVP-0031ch3.asp and www.ianr.unl.edu/ianr/fcs/upsdowns/upsjune02.htm.

Julia Parker spends most of her time with her son on opposite sides of a white chalk line from him, while he crashes into other soccer players, and she holds her breath.

Copyright: Copyright on articles and recipes are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

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