Well, I’m pretty excited that I finished my weekender bag and still have a smile on my face.
I took part in the Weekender Bag Sewalong held by Sew Lux and Happy Little Cottage. Unfortunately, the sewalong didn’t finish, but I did! And I was happy to realise that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be – probably due to all the research I did before I started. I’ve listed a heap of links below to help you out!
I stayed pretty close to the pattern except that I lengthened the straps to 55″ as I wanted wear it over my shoulder, but not have it drag on the ground. I added some wadding into the handles to make them a little comfier on the shoulder, too.
I also added a double pull zipper – Tara @tarasews on IG suggested it, and I used this tutorial by Two Little Poppets.
Inside, I added a zippered compartment using this tutorial on the U-Handbag blog, and a simple pocket with two sections on the other side (sorry – bad photo!)
I added a pieced M to one end, and a bow block to the other end.
I added some feet to the bottom of my bag to protect it! When I sewed the sides to the base, I had an excess of fabric so I had to sew a little seam along the bottom.
The pattern is by Amy Butler and the fabrics are the prettiest navy floral from April Showers by Bonnie and Camille, Essex linen in denim, and a small red gingham from Spotlight. The lining is a pretty aqua homespun.
Here are a heap of links to blog posts with tips and tricks for making the weekender bag:
Start here: A very detailed 3 part series by Three Owls Handmade – excellent with lots of photos, and a post about the first bag she made here which is just so pretty and has lots of info too.
For quilt-as-you-go bag panels, check out this tutorial:
So, there it is! I’ve made a weekender bag, and I wouldn’t mind making another, with hexie panels, maybe?
Till next time,