Mama's Got a Brand New...

...BAG!
That's right, I was able to sew up this little number in a few days' time (which for me is quite the feat). I used some fabric I found on deep discount this summer at Ikea and at the time, thought I would make a purse or apron with it. If any of you out there know me, you know there really isn't much point in my wearing an apron when I cook or bake. This is due to two things:

1. My clothes are already quite nicely stained, in general.
2. I am very klutzy and this also accounts for point number 1. I imagine an apron would not fully prevent stains, unless it was made of some sort of silicone-treated fabric that formed a tent over my entire body.

So, purse it was. My current homemade bag had taken a beating of late, enough so that I finally managed to drag out the sewing machine, take a big gulp, and jump in (yeah, that's right, I am still a little afraid of my sewing machine. But don't tell her that). I used THIS TUTORIAL for most of the construction, but strayed in a few areas. First, I decided if this was to be my giant bag for everyday use, it would need pockets. I made a pocket for each side of the bag and instead of pleating the lining of the bag as the tute author had done, made the lining plain. I pleated the outer pieces first, then traced around them to cut the lining pieces. I also did not use interfacing. Lastly, I changed the straps. The author used leather straps which for me as a vegan was not something I was interested in doing. I thought about finding an old bag in my closet with fake leather straps or finding one at a thrift store to use but then I realized it would not do. I need a bag I can sling over my body, like a messenger bag. This gives me two free hands with which to knit or more likely these days, wrangle a feisty toddler away from certain mayhem. The straps would need to be much longer than regular purse straps I might find out there. So I made two uber-long straps for my bag with the outer and lining fabrics, which also meant no further cash was spent.

I finished it today and really liked it, until I put it on and realized...it looks just like a diaper bag. Oh my. Which I guess it will be, in part, anyhow. Most of the things that go in my bag are toddler-related sundries and soon, there will be baby-related sundries in there too. I also realized I don't like how most of my coats look with it, so now I really really want to find an nice thrift store non-wool gray coat to work it. Preferably one that can accomodate a rather large belly as well. Sounds like a nice challenge, eh?

I will say this; the tutorial was really easy to follow and well-written. This is the most well-constructed sewing project I have completed to date and it gives me hope that I am in fact improving in this area. Hooray for progress!