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The Bag That Made Me Turn to Drink

So, let me preface this post by saying that using a blog post entitled ‘The Bag That Made Me Turn to Drink’ is probably not the best way to sell a pattern that you have made and designed yourself. Hopefully you’ll read most some of this post and at least hear me out. 😉

I had two last minute bags to make this week. I mean, flying by the skin of my teeth fast. I tried writing/designing/sewing a new bag in the space of two days, which was one of the bags that was supposed to go to QuiltCon next week, but I rushed through it and was not happy with my interfacing/flap choice, so I had to sadly scrap it. I finished the bag, it just wasn’t up to par and needed a re-do. It happens. I was a little disappointed about it, but I tried my best, and I know it’s okay to admit when something doesn’t turn out right. I won’t show you that bag, because…well, I don’t really want to re-live it. lol.

Back of the bag

But, I did manage to finish the other bag that is going to QuiltCon (the other 2 had already been sent out for the Andover booth). Quick clarification…I really don’t drink much. Like probably 10 times a year or less. I don’t mind doing it, but on any given day I’m at my sewing machine in the evening, and drinking and sewing aren’t the best things to do at the same time (I’m just waiting for the day when I sew over my finger with the needle…and that I envision doing while sober, lol).

So, the bag photos in this post are from my Dot Dot Dash Bag sewing pattern. I made this using ‘Lucky Penny’ by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics. I had previously cut out the interfacing, but other than that, I somehow managed to fuse and sew this bag in the span of about 5 hours. I really needed to get it off to UPS today, and I had no idea how I was going to do that *and* somehow celebrate Valentine’s Day without my husband thinking I was a jerk. My daughter went to my in-law’s house for a little bit, and I had almost 3 hours to sew. I thought…well, I can do this. So I turned my music up like I usually do.

Like I said, I wrote this pattern, so besides double-checking a couple measurements, I just went off of memory. I was all ‘look at me!!’. Hmm. I was making pretty good progress, until it got time to attach the side panel to the front and back of the bag. In my directions, I clearly state to pin the front of bag to the side panel and sew the pinned edge. Incredibly easy. For some reason, I sort of lost my head and just sewed it straight on without the pins. I don’t know why. I don’t know what possessed me. I’ve done a side panel like this dozens of times. And you know what? I could not figure out why I couldn’t get the dang side to distribute evenly on the bag; I kept getting stuck with leftover side. I’d get the front on, and then couldn’t get the bag even. Rip rip rip rip rip rip rip. The more I ripped, the more anxious I got at watching the clock. I literally felt sick.

I think you were probably expecting me to say that I had trouble with the recessed zipper. Ummm…that part probably took me all of 15 minutes to sew. I just can’t believe that I caused myself so much stress by such a rookie mistake as not using pins, and on a bag that is soft and would easily have taken a pin to it. And the funniest part was that I could not for the life of me figure out what was going wrong.

So I finished it up, sent it out, and my husband and I went to see an early movie so we could be home in time for the kid’s bedtime at 8pm. I told him, “I don’t really care about the movie, I think I just need a drink.”

I guess the moral of the story is read the freaking instructions.

On a lighter note, if you’re going to QuiltCon and see Alison Glass with this bag, say hi and tell her how great her fabric is. 🙂

Oh, if you like this bag (and know how to read instructions, unlike me), check it out in my pattern shop. And you can also see all the bags sewn from this pattern by my testers. Clearly, they know how to read instructions.

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21 thoughts on “The Bag That Made Me Turn to Drink

  1. emedoodle says:

    LOL Great story! 🙂 I’ll say hi to her if I see her!

  2. Linh says:

    Been there! Especially when I’m trying to hurry things along. Never mind though, the bag turned out beautifully!

  3. Wendy says:

    Oh I so understand your pain, but awesome for you for preserving and finishing and then rewarding yourself by letting it go. Awesome job!!

  4. Jessica says:

    Great post! Glad you’re honest 😉 No harm done. It’s seriously gorgeous!

  5. Kelly says:

    I feel for you Sara. But hey – it looks fabulous!! Great job xxx

  6. Sally says:

    I was just talking to my mom about this over the weekend. I always read the instructions and follow along with them, even if I’ve done the pattern or whatever a couple times. My mom, as she was telling me, has more sewing experience overall, so she thinks she knows what’s next and doesn’t need to read the directions…. and it almost always gets her in trouble :-/ It’s Murphy’s Law… any other time, you could probably have not pinned and you wouldn’t have had any troubles.

  7. Oh man, have I been there… Funny how the littlest things can throw us off sooo badly. But hey, it looks gorgeous and it makes a good post, right? 🙂

  8. Nueyer Dua says:

    That’s an amazing looking bag!!!

  9. DianeY says:

    LOL but it turned out great. Be glad you’re not a guy! They never read instructions or ask for directions! And I. Like to believe they I suffer from it!

  10. Cindy says:

    I hear you! For me – if all else fails, read the directions…..LOL

  11. kateuk says:

    Sometimes it just gets like that,however often you make something,sometimes you just do it wrong again and again and again.I recommend GIN.After enough of which, sewing over your finger isn’t a problem at all….

  12. Lori says:

    LOL this was a fun blog post to read. Im sooo glad im not the only one with sewing problems about not reading the instructions first. I feel your stress/pain. But the tote turned out wonderful. I love the colors and the zippers. You did a fantastic job. Give yourself a pat on the back and a big smile. You perservered. Good girl!!

  13. Alli says:

    Hee! I’m glad it all worked out in the end, though. Five hours is really impressive! 😀

  14. Katy Cameron says:

    Lol, confessions of an alcoholic sewer ;o) I may, or may not have spent about 5 times ripping out and resewing one paper pieced bit of a pattern the other day, only to find I was trying to attach the wrong bit to the wrong place – argh! Worse, it was my pattern too!

  15. Soooooo pleased it worked out in the end xxxx

  16. Beth says:

    So something that I would do. Including not being able to figure out what was wrong. 😉 I have sewn thru my finger. No, wasn’t drinking. No, do not try it cause it hurts really really bad.
    Great purse.

  17. suemac says:

    Sounds like all turned out well. Take a deep breath.

  18. nissaMade says:

    I nearly always have trouble fitting the gusset..in my case it’s a problem with the pattern maker (me) and/or sewist (me)

  19. Elaine says:

    I have done this so many times—thought that I had made a pattern often enough that I didn’t need to consult the instructions.

    Your bag is beautiful! I would love to try this pattern myself in the near future.

  20. Your bag looks great in this fabric! I always make mistakes under time constraints! It sucks, but it happens!

  21. Oh, and I am impressed you finished in 5 hours!!

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