Loved making this! It was so simple to do, and I made it in about 2 days. I added a lining to the inside, just a calico that I stitched on, and I also added a lining to the straps.

At the bottom of the bag, I cut out a long oval shape out of the covered cardboard stuff that you find on the bottom of regular diaper bags (of which I have plenty). It makes it stay more upright, and adds a waterproof bottom to the bag. If I didn’t have the diaper bags, I probably would have covered a piece of plastic canvas with calico and used that as a base.

The bookbag is big enough to fit a full sized, 2” binder inside, and has enough stretch to add a pair of toddler shoes, a show-and-tell bag, and snacks for the classroom.

The Red Heart has held up so well throughout this schoolyear. While the beak started falling off after a few months, the bookbag itself has held up perfectly after being dragged around by a preschooler for almost a full schoolyear, and I could probably get another year out of it if I wasn’t psyched to make another one for next year.