Hello everyone! I am super happy to be guest blogging for Sara’s Purse Palooza today!
The pattern I chose to review was “The Ava Bag” by Two Peas in a Pod
I have been holding onto this pattern since I first saw it reviewed on Sara’s blog, so I’m glad to have a reason to finally take the time to make it myself. I knew it would be an awesome bag after seeing Sara’s and I was absolutely not disappointed!
Fabric requirements:
The pattern calls for the following amounts of fabric, which I found to be pretty accurate:
1/2 yard for exterior panels
1/2 yard for lining
1/2 yard for exterior front pocket panel and straps
1/4 yard for lining pocket
I used quilting weight cotton and feel that, along with my interfacing choices, the bag has a great shape and sturdiness to it and will hold up for a long time. The front panel and contrasting pocket leave a lot of room for creativity with regards to fabric choices and I could even see the front pocket being cute with a pieced design or the entire bag being a great “scrappy” pieced pattern.
It called for medium to heavy weight fusible fleece, but as I’ve used Soft and Stable By Annie for so many bags lately, I decided to use that for my outside pieces and I am very happy with the results. For the pockets and lining I used Shape Flex and found it to be a great thickness. The pattern recommends 1 layer of interfacing on the pockets but if you are using Shape Flex, I would recommend 2, as it gives it more sturdiness.
Construction:
This purse has 3 roomy slip pockets on the front as well as 3 slip pockets on the inside. It closes with a magnetic snap and is a great size for an every day purse. I really like having a zipper pocket somewhere in every bag I own for my smaller items or to secure my wallet, so I would probably add that inside or even on the back if I were to make this bag again.
Instructions and Pattern Pieces:
There is only one pattern piece which gets folded to be used for the main panel and pocket panel, which I really liked. It was nice not having to cut out several pieces and makes it easy to store this pattern again without losing small bits.
The instructions were very simple and easy to follow. The only area I had issues was with the magnetic snap because it does not give any recommendation for how low to place the snap. Mine worked out ok at 1″ down from the top, but I prefer not to have to guess when working on a new pattern. A bit more information in the pattern instead of “follow manufacturer’s instructions for inserting the magnetic snap” would have been helpful.
Conclusion:
Overall I think this is a well written, easy to follow pattern which makes for a beautiful finished handbag. I would recommend this pattern for a confident beginner. After having such great success with my first “Two Peas in a Pod” pattern, I would absolutely buy more patterns from this designer as I saw no major flaws in her pattern and love the simplicity of the instructions and pieces.
Thanks for following along with me today here at Purse Palooza! Happy Sewing everyone!
Beautiful bag! I really like the shape. Thanks for the review.
I really like your version! Text prints are a favourite
I like the fabrics you chose for your bag! I made this bag pattern several years ago and for some reason I’ve never used it 🙁
What a thoughtful review, I appreciate the points you made. I think this looks like a nice first purse to carry for teen, and I like the arm room at the top of the purse (as well as those pockets.) Thanks!
I love the shape of the bag & your fabric choices, thanks for sharing!
So pretty
Oooooh I love that bag. And your fabric is great!
I like the shape of this bag. Especially how the top edge dips in the center. Looks like a bag that would good in many different fabrics.