Designing the Tote-sized Bags
To get the organization going, I was given the task to design using a proposed list of products from fatigues, utilizing the pockets and other design features. The main challenges included the limited size of fabric pieces plus making the items so they could be cost effective to reproduce in production.
The first product I designed was the Book Bag Tote. Really liking the slanted pocket with Velcro flaps on the front of a jacket, I was able to turn the shirt front sideways so the shirt front opening became the top edge of our smallest tote. Score! A finished top and sewn on pocket meant fewer construction steps.
Another early idea was to make a Backpack Day Pack using the pants leg cargo pocket for the front. My goal here was to get the entire backpack from one pants leg. I succeeded with extra-large pants, but we do have to add some additional fabric from another garment when the pants are small or medium sized. The backpack uses the sewn-on leg cargo pocket plus the rest of the leg for fabric, and the back pocket flap creates the closing flap.
We loved the cargo pocket so much it was also incorporated into our medium sized Cargo Pocket Tote. This tote is a great size with many applications.
The first Large Tote Bag was a special request by Connie for her own use. It requires some thoughtful cutting of a jacket to have enough fabric to turn the bottom of the back and fronts into the main body of the tote. Using most of a jacket body and sleeve, the Large Tote Bag is probably the largest item we will be able to offer.
