So…

for quite some time now, we’ve been on the receiving end of requests to create instructions that would allow for our Sling Along design to be converted into a true backpack, and even though writing up instructions for straps can certainly be accomplished quicker than writing up a new bag pattern, it still takes time and effort and so far there just hasn’t been a good time for me to get this done. Additionally, in order to be able to photograph this new strap attractively, I knew it most likely meant sewing up an entirely new bag sample… but then two things came to light!

1. I generally have about a week to 10 days of time to kill after I finish a pattern while I wait for the components to come back from the print shop and I normally have a pet project lined up to take care of as I dislike starting a new pattern until I can devote fulltime to it. (While the Gemini FlightBag was being printed for example, I wallpapered my powder room.) But this time, with our vacation looming in mid-September, I may not start a new pattern until after we come back… and
2. even though I rarely have much fabric leftover when I finish making a bag, one day it dawned on me, that the gold fern fabric we sell on our website, is actually a pretty good match for the tuxedo cat Sling Along we created several years ago. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty darned close (as you can see below).

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So with that, I began!

My plan was to take the zippered backpack straps from our OutBreaker design and fine tune them so they could work with an amended Sling Along design. and as it turns out, I’m very satisfied with both the functionality and the fabric match.

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I like the flexibility that this zippered strap offers because even though you’ll can now be able to carry the Sling Along as a true back pack, we all know there will be times when carrying a backpack just isn’t convenient or doesn’t feel secure and that’s when its really nice to able to zip that strap shut and hook both snap hooks into the same side of the bag and carry it as a one-armed sling bag, just like the original Sling Along pattern.

So here’s the cover for this pattern…

and now, let’s address the elephant in the room…

There’s been more than a few “suggestions” that this tutorial should be given away for free to those who have already purchased the Sling Along pattern up to now, and here’s what my thoughts are on that.

• If there was something incomplete about the Sling Along pattern, or if there were supplies that are now obsolete and impossible to procure after 4 years, then I would agree that if I want to keep selling the pattern, it would need to be updated to correct those deficiencies. But that is definitely not the case here.
• the Sling Along pattern has been on the market for over 4 years now and is still one of the most popular patterns we’ve ever produced. That’s because its a complete stand-alone pattern just the way it is.
• The new convertible strap is not vital, nor is it necessary for proper functionality of this bag. In fact, there are many who may not be interested in this add-on at all.

For these reasons, the Sling Along Strap Conversion pattern will not be added to our free pattern lineup. But lets talk about some practicalities now.

To find out more about
the Sling Along Strap Conversion pattern, click HERE.

And to pick up a Notions ONLY Kit that has all the hardware & zippers you’ll need to make a Sling Along bag WITH a new convertible strap to go with it, please click HERE!

And now, it’s YOUR turn!

What do you think about the new strap we’ve designed for the Sling Along? Does it look like an option you could be interested in? And if you have questions or other comments you’d like to share, please do so in the space provided below.

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