I found out about this New Look sewing pattern when I saw it done up by Allyn in some lovely fabric from Ikea at Seven Waters, To Go. When I got the pattern and cut out the pieces, I realized that it was a lot bigger than I initially thought it would be. It reminds me of one of those large plastic beach totes. I thought it would be a quick one-evening project…boy, was I in for a surprise.
Fabric – This bag called for 7/8 of a yard of the exterior fabric, the same for the interior, and 2/8 of a yard for the binding (I used some store-bought double fold bias tape that I had leftover from another project). It also calls for 2-1/2 yards of heavy weight fusible interfacing; I used my old friend Pellon Peltex. For the main fabric, I actually cut up some crib bumpers that I had made for my son when he was a baby. Since he only used the crib for about 6 months (we co-sleep), the bumpers didn’t hold any particular place in my heart, so I didn’t mind using the fabric for something else. This fabric is dear to my heart, though, it’s Alexander Henry 2D Zoo in sage. The interior is just a plain turquoise cotton.
Pattern Pieces – This bag only has 2 pattern pieces….yeah! Nice and easy to cut out, which was why I thought it would be an easy sew. I applied the interfacing to all the pieces, which makes for a nice stiff and sturdy bag.
Illustrations/Instructions – I am just the biggest idiot when it comes to commercial sewing patterns. I guess the illustrations were okay, but I assumed you would just sew the sides of the bag together, sew the bottom, then repeat with the interior fabrics before placing them inside eachother and just binding them together. The instructions wanted you to sew the sides, then baste the exterior and interior sides together, then somehow sew the bottom on (wouldn’t there be exposed seams somewhere if you did it like that?)…after that my eyes glazed over and I just decided to go with my original inklings. Before I put the interior into the exterior, I cut a piece of cardboard to go into the bottom to make it sturdy. This is one tough bag. Tough is also cumbersome to maneuver around the sewing machine. It’s so stiff, it takes a lot of persuasion to turn, and I also had my walking foot on.
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| Sewing the bottom to the interior sides. |
Awesome job! I hate hand sewing, too! I usually have my MIL do that part if I can!
it turned out adorable. that binding around the top and handle are why i still have two cut out in my sewing room. grrr. but the finished product is so worth it.
What a cute bag, and congrats on your feature over at Amylouwho!
I used to HATE, Hate, hate, handsewing, but I swear it kind of grows on you once you get used to it. Now I really sort of enjoy doing a bit of handsewing in front of the tv at the end of the day 🙂