The last thing I made before my ill-fated trip to pick up my Brompton (no Brompton yet; see previous post) was another flap for my S bag:
The Brompton S bag, has a removable cover, so I’ve been entertaining myself by making custom flaps. This one is Cordura (1000 weight) in chrome yellow and dark green. The strip — bend dexter, in heraldry — is ornamented with Demeritwear badges, which I enthusiastically collect.
Deciding how to arrange them took some fiddling:
As you can see, I originally went for bend sinister, but decided against it. Nothing sinister going on here, no sir.
The main part of the flap pattern was re-drawn, cut to make room for the green strip, and the strip sewn into the resulting seams. I was concerned that sewing the band directly on top of a complete yellow flap might make the flap too stiff across the area of the stripe.
Each of the badges has some personal meaning, but, together, they make for a colorful, distinctive, decoration for my bag. Besides, they’re just plain fun!
Other than the badge band, construction was identical to my previous flaps. (You can see most of the assembly process here.) I did add the heavy vinyl to the interior; the Cordura, on its own, wasn’t quite heavy enough when lined, as it was, only with ripstop nylon.
Pictures on the Brompton, eventually, when it arrives.
4 replies on “Bend Dexter Flap for S Bag”
i love all your custom flaps! i’ve always wanted to make my own or at least have someone sew them for me, but i still need to do research on who can do that here in Singapore. you think you’d want to make some in a tarp-y material?
Thanks, Diane! I think a tarpy-y material, or any canvas, would make a great flap. But it shouldn’t be difficult for any seamstress or tailor to work one up (as long as you can get the buckles and hook-and-loop tape). The flaps are really pretty simple. (That’s why I’m having so much fun making many!) You just need to take care with the binding, and make sure that your measurements are correct.
Hi there I just spotted your blog and thought I would say hi. When I was lookign for bags for my Brompton I was seriously considering getting the S bag as I could see that it would be possible to either get or make custom flaps. In the end I went for the O Bag as I needed to make sure things where waterproof as I sometimes carry an expensive dSLR camera on rides.
Loving your custom flaps though :)
iCrazyBee! I love your blog! (And your Bee!) (Can’t comment on it, though, because you don’t allow Name/URL comments . . . sad!) I haven’t tried the S bag and its “waterproof” green rain cover in a downpour, but I doubt they would protect your camera like an O bag. Best use of my custom flaps, though, was keeping me busy while waiting *forever* for my Brommie!