The backpack patches

I bought a canvas backpack specifically to sew patches onto it



Sitting in the grass, a burgundy pink backpack covered in patches, from a pink heart that says feral, artist with a paintbrush, a little Kabuto pokemon, a tiny eagle and turtle, a witch hat, a fly, an actual dreamcatcher, a flower with bee wild bee kind bee free, Andy Warhol, a Britney Spears butterfly, a vegan patch, a queer patch, dungeons and dragons critical role patches, a canada flag, a british flag, and a yorkshire crest.
So, over the course of time, and many a trek through a forest, my old backpack (seen in the first umbrella holder images) started to fail on me. First, the inner lining was... basically gone, but that was fine, I liked that bag. Next, the main zipper started to go... and that... that was a little bit more troubling. And then I moved to England, and attached the aformentioned umbrella holder, and kept using it anyway! And the zipper started to get worse... and that... that was even more worrisome, in a busy city. And so, as much as I loved the sun-bleached look of my beloved old bag... she had to be replaced.

I sought a canvas backpack. Pink again, and we hunted online, and we found something with side pockets and stuff... and it was good. And then... the patches... continued, I guess. I had attached the Union Jack flag and the Canada flag to the old backpack, but already at that point the zipper was starting to go, so we didn't want to attach more at the time. But, we have a new backpack now!

But the old backpack... she lives on, in this one. As you can see on the photos to the right (see images 5 and 6, I would have put those first, but we needed a few pics of the patches right at the top to kinda "start" the patches page), the front clasp was taken from the old backpack, carried with me in the new. Y'see, as awesome as this backpack pocket design was, it didn't have the chest strap that I really like that's available in most camping day packs. Virtually none did in fact, so we went with this with the plan of adding them. And thankfully, the shoulder straps were *ludicrously* way too long, as usual, so on this pack I was able to trim off as much of those brown straps as I could, re-sew their folded ends, and use the cut-off parts to create the chest strap (sewn on with 12 pound spider wire fishing line no less)! And with that, a clasp from the old backpack made it onto the new ❤️

And with that, patches, patches, patches! We re-installed the Union Jack and Canada flags, followed quickly by the artist patch which was bought with a handful of them in April (also the bear bell, who's velcro is basically gone so I need to sew it closed around the strap). After that came Yorkshire, where we plan to move (Sheffield specifically), followed by the bee wild, bee kind, bee free patch, which I actually bought in Sheffield at a random bouldering/rock climbing festival thing (where I also got this awesome Gekco shirt)! After that came a looooong waiting Kabuto patch, which I bought in *checks Etsy* November 2021! It was so cute that I had to, and it even came with a free sticker (more stickers to be added to those pages, they're just kinda sparse at the moment)! And so, this patch was *finally* added to something, having sat inside my documents folder for years, and can now be patched forth.

Speaking of older patches, let's throw in pics of my Bag of Holding bookbag (from ThinkGeek) which was my first patchsewing endeavour. The unicorn on the back I've had for years and years and years from a Reddit gift trade thing, and the rest were generally done a few years ago. Also the bag I take my D&D stuff in to go to campaign. 		The front of the burgundy pink backpack sitting on a bed, with the an artist patch, the word artist in light blue in longhand script edged in shiny purple, with a paintbrush beneath, and a circular grey patch with a flower and three bees, and the text be wild, be kind, be free on the front pouch top flap. This patch is only half sewn on, with a pair of small needlenose pliers and the sewing needle and thread being visible at the top of the patch.The side of the backpack that will sit on Kabutroid's right, with the Union Jack flag on the side pocket, and a Yorkshire patch with white rose flower beneath the text on a light blue background. The straps for the umbrella holder are seen sewn onto this side close to the shoulder straps.
The side of the backpack on Kabutroid's left, with the Canada flag on the pocket, and the yellow bear bell seen attached around the arm strap on this side.A closer view of the top flap of the bag with the artist patch, and now with the light brown shelled pokemon Kabuto beneath it in the corner, with its four cute little claws, two red eyes, and it's cheeks are blushing pink.
The shoulder strap side of the backpack, showing two dark brown straps coming towards eachother from the shoulder straps, with either end of a black buckle clasp on each side.Showing the underside of the shoulder strap, where the outside of the brown strap is sewn all the way around with fishing line, firmly attaching it to the shoulder strap.
The front of Kabutroid's grey bookbag with five patches above the zipper of the front cover flap, a big red heart, a crest with the Union Jack flag in it and London above, Opaskwayak Cree Nation with an eagle, a green d20 dice, and the band Mayhem, 35 year anniversary. Also there's the word also in the top left, since this isn't specifically the backpack, but I can conveniently add the pictures in here.The back of the bookbag, with just two patches above the back pocket, a small housefly facing up and to the left, and a sparkly pink unicorn, arranged to look like it's sticking its head out of the back pocket, facing to the right.
That aside, we also have Andy Warhol, a witch's hat, my fly Familiar, and the queer patch that I picked up in Sheffield as well. And, as I wanted something to showcase my indigenous side, I got a small dreamcatcher to hang from the back of the bag, slightly obscuring the witch hat and Familiar, which I kinda planned because I want that to be shown, but not showcased, if y'know what I mean, and that looks incredible hanging from the back of the bag. And then the Samus logo came soon after. There doesn't seem to be smaller patches of a Metroid itself available online, just a 3 inch version which would just be too large for this, so we will continue looking for that over time, and put that in beside the Samus logo when we find one, but this will do as a Metroid reference until such time ^_^ . Quite difficult stitching that over the bend of the pocket flap, but it looks really good on a curved surface, kinda natural fabric feeling there.

And then several more showed up in the mail! We have a feral patch, which the fact that I even found a patch that says feral on it is incredible, and goes back to my having grown up way out in a field, and a small patch of forest (lol), which I actually got a larger patch, after much hunting around online. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a patch of just a wild forest, and this one turned out incredible! Though to be fair to the patch creator, the originating patch looked pretty amazing as well. But yah, I didn't want the camping part to go with it, just a nice wild patch of forest ^_^ 		The front of the backpack, somewhat focused in on the Andy Warhol patch on the right side of the front pocket.Showing above the front pocket, which now has the multicoloured word queer at the top right of the pocket's flap, as well as a pink witch hat with crystals, stars, and smoke on the front, and a little housefly animal Familar to the top left of the hat, crawling up and to the right. I love those lil houseflies.
The front of the backpack, now sprouting a brown dreamcatcher with feathers hanging in front of the witches hat, and somewhat over the bee wild, bee kind, bee free and queer patches. It hangs somewhat loosely, so it should sway back and forth as I walk, allowing you to see the patches behind it. I didn't want witchcraft to be like a primary focus anyway, so I'm pretty happy that it's slightly obscured by this.The right side of the backpack with the Union Jack flag and Yorkshire crest, now with the circular Samus S logo on the top flap of the pocket with the Union Jack on it, somewhat curved around the bend of the pocket flap.
Another pic of the top flap of the backpack, now sporting a pink candy heart with the word feral on it in capital letters, on the bottom left corner of the flap. With the word artist on the right, the two patches together say feral artist, with a Kabuto pokemon in the bottom right, which works out pretty well!A little green, dense patch of pine trees above the Canada flag on the left pocket, above the zipper for the pocket.
And then the D20 patch finally arrived (which also glows in the dark!), after which we were finally able to attach all of the Critical Role patches! And I've gotta say, it took a fair amount of effort to get everything lined up on there. The Mighty Nein sword is lined up with the top and bottom corners of the D20, the sword and center points of Vox Machina, and the H of Bell's Hells are all lined up parallel to the sword, and everything is aligned as perfectly as I can make it. Which involved removing and re-attaching the Critical Role sword, because it angled at like 2 degrees, so we needed to fix that lol. And I am aware that the patches will be obscured when the bag is closed, but that's actually by design (or placement decision I guess), because I wanted all of the patches 'on' there, but I didn't want it to be like... a main focal point of the bag (like the witch's hat). And Vox Machina has been my favourite so far, so I'm happy that that one's so visible. Also, for future campaigns, we can expand into the top right of the block, followed by to the left and right of the logos, which works out pretty good.

The Britney Spears patch arrived, which looks awesome and was added near Andy Warhol. And then we got an Eagle to go with my Spirit Name, The Eagle who Flies through the Heaven, and floating nearby, a turtle pendant to represent my Spirit Guide Upulnesayay. And to finish off the pre-selected patches on the bag, a vegan patch (as I've gone that route in the past year), which I'd debated where to place. It would have looked fitting on the front pocket beneath queer and beside the bee patch, but that was a little bit too... in your face or something, like I was shoving it down your throat. Save the bees! Be queer! Be vegan! Which yes, but I don't want to be like screaming that at you. So it felt good to kinda have the vegan patch off to the side close to the Union Jack flag, still somewhat on the front, but also opening the door to showing that patches travelling over a seam are an option, which I'm glad to have started as well. And at this point, anything to be added will be those found in the wild :D 		The left side of the backpack spread out to show the green D20 dice above the pocket with the Canada flag and forest patch, and to either side above that the Critical Role sword logo, a black somewhat D20 looking design as well with a sword running vertically through it, and the Vox Machina logo, a round red logo with a large VM with a circle around it in white. Above those in the center and lined up vertically with the D20 is the Mighty Nein logo, a blue stylized logo with a capitol MN in the center, a long sword running vertically through the center of that, and six diamonds at the top above the hilt of the sword, and to the top left above that and lined up vertically with the Critical Role logo is Bell's Hells, a teal BH with the H wrapping around into the B, with a circle inside of the lower loop of the B and a diamond in the space above the H. There is a gap to the upper right of the Mighty Nein logo for the next campaign.Another photo of the front of the bag, with a Britney Spears patch on the front pocket to the left of Andy Warhol. It's a white, oval patch at an angle, edged in light blue, a wider pink band, and light blue again, the name Britney Spears in dark blue script, and a yellow butterfly behind the name in the center.
The upper portion of the top flap, with a small Eagle patch above and between the feral heart and artist patches, and with a small Turtle pendant connected above the Eagle with a chainmaille ring.The british flag side of the backpack, showing the word vegan in lime green and white, partly on the lower front of the backpack and stretching onto the side pocket.
So let's post a few pics of the currently finished article, in the sunlight so we can see all the colours and everything nice and clearly. It looks incredible, I'm very happy with it, and it's only going to get more colourful and creative as time goes on! Kabutroid wearing a pink top and standing in the sun, taking a selfie of her left side wearing the backpack, where visible is the Vox Machina Critical Role patch, the forest, a bit of the d20 dice, and the canada flag.Kabutroid from the right, showing the umbrella connected to the side of the bag, the Yorkshire crest with the white rose of York, the british flag, Samus logo, and a bit of Andy Warhol. Also her pink over the shoulder purse is on this side.
The backpack sitting on the grass and clover showign the left side, with the Canada flag, Britney Spears patch, the Dungeons and Dragons patches, and all the rest on the left or front left of the bag visible from this angle.The right side of the bag in the grass, with the Union Jack, vegan, Andy Warhol, Yorkshire, and the rest visible from the front right.
The view of the direct back of the backpack if you were walking behind me, with the bee patch easily visible, Britney Spears, Andy Warhol, vegan off beside him, the queer patch, and the witch hat and fly Familiar behind the dream catcher, as well as the feral artist and eagle visible on the upper flap.
And then, another patch was obtained! June 29, 2024, the day of Pride London, I'm guessing you can see where this is going. Technically before that I stumbled across a button pin during one of my bike rides, but that wasn't worth updating the page for, until such time another patch was found! And indeed, it was found in the wild, as predicted. During London Pride, one of the booths actually had cloth patches, so of COURSE I had to get one! We were priding it up, I have a backpack that I'm looking for patches for... that patch was being bought lol. Finding a patch was actually one of my main goals in our travels that day, and so I popped that puppy onto the pack right after we got home from the festivities. Awesome :D

Now, what will be next? I figure I'll update this page between patches, and show any keychains or pins that gather onto it with each patch update. 		An aged and worn pin for the Hard Rock cafe, saying save the planet, and love all, serve all, London, attached to the right of the main backpack flap straps, with Kabuto on the top flap visible above it and the Yorkshire white rose to the right.A round patch for Pride Life repeated encircling the flag, and the Progress Pride flag in the middle, sewn on between the Canada flag and the Britney Spears patch, kinda going from on the side pocket all the way onto the front pocket, going over two seams. The backpack itself is laying on a Pride flag, which you can't tell from this picture, but it's the Progess Pride flag that we were wearing to the festival.
And as primised, we have several additional buttons to go with several additional patches! The 'we are the city' cat button I found on the ground, the Pride button at the Reading Pride Festival, and the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival pin in my luggage, finally unpacked from, you guessed it, the Trappers' Festival in The Pas, Manitoba. So naturally we had to add that on.

Both of the patches were actually ALSO found at that Reading Pride Festival, rather randomly in a bin of just... miscellaneous patches. A feather that felt like a colourful indigenous feather, and Pacman of all things!!! So I had to get those (I already had a Queer and Pride patch, so didn't want to 'flood' the bag with more of them just yet). It took a bit of pondering what to make the Pacman dots from, until a moment of brilliance realized that buttons would make the perfect dots! With a larger button in the corner for the power pellet :D So nice, nice, the bag continues to fill out! 		The Hard Rock Cafe pin now accompanied by a smaller twilight blue pin that says We are the city on the right, with two thirds of an orange tabby cat's face on the left,and a circular rainbow pin that says happy Pride day, with several rainbow stars projecting from the center, and a purple heart in the middle of the D of Pride.The left side of the bag, just beside and slightly lower than the green d20 patch, is a largish white pin of a trapper singing o sweet lonesome mary on a banjo made out of a snowshoe, wearing plaid and a fur hat, with the text Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival, The Pas 2020.
Beneath the Queer patch and to the right of the Bee Kind patch, we have a blue, light blue, pink, and light pink feather drifting down on the opening flap of the front pocket.Beneath the British Union Jack flag on the side pocket, we have our yellow circle with a slice missing and a dot for an eye Pacman figure, to the right of which are two small pearl white buttons, a larger button in the corner, and three more smaller buttons travelling up along the side of the Union Jack.
April 27, 2024 and onwards

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