The Uniform Bags - Part 1

I know, three posts in one day?  Well, I have had a lot to catch you up on as far as what has been happening around here.  And I have finally gotten myself motivated enough to cut into someone else's son's military uniform, so that I can create a couple of bags for her, so that a little bit of her son is with her whenever she uses her bags....now, don't worry, he's alive and well, just not with his mom.  Being a mom, I completely understand!
But it was really something I had to give some time and space to....before I took scissors to something near and dear to someone else....because once its been cut, you can't ever put it back together like it was before.  So I had to decide which of the versions of the duffel bag that I had in my head would really be the most attractive use of the uniform's components, and also be the most useful and versatile.  The other bag, which will be an extra-large yoga mat bag, should be a good bit easier to put together.
I know I have shown this picture of my 'raw materials' for the bags in a previous post....but I wanted to include it here as a reminder of where I started.  I have spent a lot of time rearranging, inspecting, and just plain figuring out how this puzzle was going to fit together suitably.  And I sure didn't want to start with the cutting until I had a complete grasp as to what I wanted the end result to be.

I made the front and back panels by cutting this lovely pillow sham in half and making sure that the two pieces were 'the same'.  I had to close up the back (which faces inside the bag and will actually be concealed once I have made the bag's inside lining) and not have anything gaping or out of line or sync with any other part.  I also made the bottom for the bag, using the greenish cargo pants in the first pic.

The sides, well, they were more than the average challenge....the width of the bag was wider than my original idea, so I made a couple of pieces from the back of the uniform shirt, added a little ultrasuede pen holder, and commenced to add these pieces to a couple of matching placemats.  The big challenge was assembling the sides without sewing them closed, since they will be BIG pockets all the way down each side.

Now, these were my conceptual pictures for the front and back panels; the top picture is pretty much how the front ended up (I have sewn these on since taking the pictures) after everything was attached.  
The bottom picture is close....I changed the center piece....made it into a big pocket with the pre-upcycled smaller pocket on it and the 'U.S. Air Force' patch is sewn onto the bottom of the big pocket instead of being above it.  The squares with

the identical patches are from each sleeve, and I made the squares, which are now also pockets.  
On the outside of the bag, there are pockets on the front and back, and the sides are each big pockets....lots of pockets, lots of places to put things.  I really like lots of pockets, as you well know if you have ever seen my bags....pockets are sort of my trademark....especially those big side pockets.
That is the story of "The Uniform Bags" so far.  Tomorrow I will assemble all of the pieces and that will be what constitutes the outside of the bag.  I will also start figuring out the lining for this bag, which, go figure, will likely have a pocket or two!  
I will update you as soon as I have gotten more of this bag under my belt, so to speak.  Until then, I bid you peace....