Anyone interested in British TV sci-fi probably noted that the long running show "Doctor Who" has broken with tradition and cast a woman in the role of the Doctor. There was an outcry from some people who apparently couldn't believe that an alien, with two hearts, who travels through time and space, who cheats death by regenerating into a totally different looking body, couldn't possibly regenerate into a woman shaped body. Seriously? That's what they were struggling with?
Hopefully, they gave the show a chance and having now seen two episodes they'll be warming to the idea if not fully embracing it. Me, I think Jodie Whittaker is luminous as the good Doctor. So much so that I felt inspired to create another tech-bag, with a nod towards her costume. If you can't wait to see it, scroll to the bottom of the page.
Jodie and Tardis image copyright BBC.
The stripe on her tee shirt was begging to be included in the design, which meant another session with the inkle loom, having made keyrings out of the previous band. Happily, I like to inkle, so it wasn't a hardship to spend a couple of days weaving. I did have a minor panic half way through: "Why would anyone want a hand woven band if you can buy them online?" A quick trawl of the web reassured me. Commercial bands don't have the same stripe, being a traditional rainbow pattern, not the Jodie stripe. Phew!
As usual I went with the Richard Feynman problem solving process and thought hard about the bag then sketched out the design. Based on a flat bottom tote the bag is made from rectangles of cloth, interfacing, batting and lining fabric. The dimensions were chosen to create a bag big enough to fit in a tablet computer or Kindle device and have room for an inner zip pocket for keys, phone and purse or wallet.
As a nod to Jodie's braces the side release clasps were attached using long strips of fabric. I generally like zip fastners for a handbag, but somehow, side release clasps just seem to work better for tech-bags. Is that weird?
The Tardis is as much a part of the show as the Doctor. Could its battered frame be excluded from the design?
Short answer - No.
It would have been easy to go overboard with embroidery and appliqué trying to recreate the windows and text of the police box in fabric, but this was meant to be a tribute to Jodie, not the Tardis. In what will be a shock to those who know me well, I went subtle. Instead of the usual lines of quilting to attach the batting to the outer bag the quilting takes its inspiration from the Tardis exterior panelling. It is a blink and you'd miss it detail, but one that pleases me. You can see the lines here on the interior of the flap. Maybe there'll be a Tardis tote further down the line...
The bag lining reminds me of the Hubble Telescope deep space images, which seemed a good match for the Doctor. It is also kind of an in joke. The Tardis is known to be "bigger on the inside" and how much bigger could you get than the universe. And just to add a little extra "space" there is a zipped pocket. I like this picture. It shows the colours in the fabric much better.
To complete the bag, it of course needs a strap. It was tempting to use more of the rainbow band, but that might have been a bit "too much." Instead it will probably have a plain blue band backed with the same fabric as the bag. I was so excited to complete the bag that I couldn't wait to blog about it, so in the final image you have to ignore the strap, that's there just for hanging purposes.
I think this would make the perfect accessory for the Doctor Who fan in your life. It is designed to hold a tablet computer, but work equally well as a handbag or small messenger bag. What do you think? Please leave a comment and let me know.
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