Sandhill Sling Bag
As I mentioned briefly in the “Floral Swing Tank Top” article, I had been growing my hair for the past two years so that I can donate it.
Well, it finally happened last week!
I got my hair cut and 12 inch (about 30 cm) of my hair went to donation.
In my late teen to early twenties, I almost always had long hair. At some point it was down to my hip.
During those times, I loved having my long hair. But lately, I was enjoying a little shorter length. Perhaps it’s something to do with my age, but it started to feel that more efforts were needed to grow it out nicely.
It had been a while since I last grew out my hair down to my waist, and this time it was feeling a lot of work to take care of it.
I wish I could have donated more, like 15 inches, but as the weather started to cool and the air was getting dry, it was time to cut it off.
Since growing out my hair long felt like such a work, I’m not sure if I could do it again. I really wish I knew more about the hair donation when I was younger, so that I could have done it more in the past.
I hear that the recipients of these wigs made out of donated hair are often children. In that case, of course it’s better if they can make the wigs with younger hair too, right? I wish I was able to donate my hair when I was teen.
But at least I did it now. My friends and family members who have donated their hair told me about their experiences and that inspired me to do the same.
If you’re reading this and never heard of hair donation or never thought much about it before, I hope my little story might encourage you to look into it in the future.
I took these photos in September, before I got my hair cut. The leaves were still beautifully yellow back then…
Earlier in the fall, we had a few opportunities to visit some nice parks for walks.
When you’re doing casual outdoor activities, how do you carry your essentials like your phone, wallet, keys, and masks?
I don’t like to jam my pockets with heavy things (plus, our phones are getting so much bigger, it doesn’t even fit in my pockets!), so I like using smaller bags like cross-bodies, small backpacks etc.
Have you noticed that fanny packs are back in the last couple of years? I was intrigued by how younger generation carries fanny packs these days, often like a short cross-body bag and in the front of your body!
It looked odd at first, but it makes a lot of sense, don’t you think? It’s much safer and provide easy access if you carry your bag in the front.
Anyways, I wanted to try that style, but I was afraid that fanny pack trend might not last long—so I decided to make a sling bag instead.
Pattern: Sandhill Sling by Noodlehead
Exterior Fabric: 6oz Cotton Twill from Blackbird Fabrics in Navy Blue
Interior Fabric: Cotton twill, bought in Japan a few years ago
Webbing: 38mm (1.5 inch) cotton webbing from Emmaline Bags
Zipper: Sallie Tomato Zipper by the Yard from Thread the Needle
So why the sling bag, instead of a fanny pack, you might ask.
I never owned nor used a sling bag before, so I wanted to try it out is one reason! Another reason was that I wanted to try using this popular Sandhill pattern from Noodlehead.
I also thought that when the “wearing a bag in the front” thing becomes no longer a trend, a sling bag would get more use, more likely than a fanny pack, personally.
The exterior fabric, zipper, and the webbing are left over from the Crescent tote I made in summer. (Another great pattern from Noodlehead.)
This worked out perfect as this bag was experimental (my first sling bag, and I wasn’t sure how much I’d love a sling bag) so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on.
Just like the Crescent Tote bag, Sandhill pattern was brilliant! It came together smoothly and quickly. I’m becoming a big fan of Noodlehead patterns.
I used cotton twill inside as well, to make it a little more sturdy. I’m really liking this unexpected colour combo. Of course, I love the polka dot!
The only change I made was to make the entire bag slightly smaller by printing and cutting out all of the pattern pieces at 90% instead of 100%.
I thought the smaller sizing would work better if I were to carry it in the front.
Here I’m wearing it on my back. I really like how this bag turned out and I can say that this is an excellent pattern!
However, I’m still not sure about sling bags in general. When carrying it on my back, it sort of feels like it’s pulling me back, and bothers my neck a little bit. A problem I don’t have with a backpack because backpack puts weight on my both shoulders evenly.
I think it would be fine if I were wearing a heavier winter jacket though.
I did quite like carrying it in the front, much more than on my back! It felt a lot more comfortable actually. And I can reach for my phone so much easier whenever I wanted to snap a photo during our walks.
It feels that it should be even smaller if I wanted to wear it in the front though, what do you think? (But remember, this dress form is a lot slimmer than me.)
Even though I’m still not sure with sling bags, I’m happy with this make! It’s fun to try new things—especially a trendy item that makes me feel younger. I enjoyed the process of making this bag too.
I did like carrying across my body in the front, so I hope that trend lasts!
Nov 12, 2021
