Today, I’m very excited to share my Slabtown Backpack. A month or so ago, Ellie from Klum House reached out to me to see if I’d like to try their new backpack kit. I said yes pretty much immediately. I loved making their Maywood Tote last year, and I was pretty confident that I’d love making this backpack too. Their kits are a fun combination of sewing and hammering, making them the perfect respite from my usual sewing projects.
Disclosure: Klum House gave me the Slabtown kit for free along with their e-course. All opinions are my own.
This backpack is made from waxed canvas, metal zippers, leather, snaps and rivets. I selected the kit with black canvas for the body and a Pendleton design canvas for the front pocket. The kit comes with everything you need to make the backpack. The fabric and leather pieces are cut to size and punched with holes where needed. Plus, you get all the zippers, rivets and snaps to hold everything together.
There are a lot of great color options and you can even select your own color combo. These kits are really high quality and the Maywood Tote that I made last year still looks as good as when I made it. (Obviously, waxed canvas will show some signs of wearing in but I think that looks really cool and not shabby.)
As part of the kit, I was given access to the Slabtown online class. I found that the class was a really nice extra help just to double check that I was doing everything correctly. Hammering rivets is not part of my usual sewing process and a new pattern always feel unfamiliar the first time you make it, so I really appreciated having the course to help walk me through the process. The class makes this project very approachable even for beginners.
I really followed all of the instructions very faithfully and they worked beautifully. So, my only additional making tip is for when you have a hole in the leather that is not big enough to fit the rivet. I found that my awl wasn’t big enough to open up the hole and I didn’t want to re-punch it. I discovered that a knitting needle did a very good job of widening the hole enough to fit a rivet. Just stick in and wiggle a little bit, then try the rivet again.
This bag feels really sturdy and I’m sure that it will hold up to a lot of use. I also installed the optional felt strap pads and I love the added cushioning and texture they give.
Originally, I was really hoping to take photos outdoors for this project but here in LA, we’re basically back in lockdown again so, inside will have to do. Hopefully soon, this virus will be under control and I’ll be able to take this backpack out for a nice hike and maybe even a picnic. I’m lucky to have a patio where I can be outdoors in a relatively private setting but I do miss the freedom of being able to safely go where I please. Thankfully, I have an indoor hobby that I love to keep me busy while we quarantine.
Anyway! If you’re interested in this backpack, go check it out on the Klum House website to learn more. Making this backpack was a really fun experience and I’m so excited to use it. Thank you Klum House for gifting me this kit!
