BrambleStitches

Recently the Man remarked that his lunch cooler was too small. He wanted a single bag that would keep his lunch cold and have enough room to haul a couple other things he needs daily: a dry pair of socks, sunscreen, and a few other small necessities. I seized upon this as an opportunity to put my skills to the test.

We poked around in my fabric, but he decided nothing I had was worthy of a Marine in the field, so he gave me a decommissioned pair of cammie trousers to use.

I’ve built an exhaustive photo tutorial, so you can see just how I did it. Enjoy!

There are two hidden layers of Insul-Brite poly/mylar fabric for insulation, and the lining is water-proof PUL (polyurethane laminate) fabric. There is a layer of Timtex interfacing in the bottom only, since this will be carrying quite a bit of weight. There are no inside pockets, but there are two outside pockets. They’re the original cargo pockets from the pants which have been repositioned. Enjoy the tutorial, and if you make one, please send me a picture!

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Edited 21 June to add:

The Man has been using his new bag for a while now, and initial results are in: The bag works as well as his old (too small) cooler. He has to use two ice packs, but it does keep his food cold enough to eat at 2 pm, even when outdoors or in the car all day in 100-plus degree weather. I call that success!

Life in the Corps, Sewing