I got up very early this morning with the intention of posting “Linky Thursday”. Unfortunately, my internet service didn’t want to cooperate with me until now so I’ve opted to skip a super late linky post and hold it off until tomorrow – just in time for lots of last minute holiday crafting links for the weekend! Speaking of holiday crafting, I managed to work on my Weekend Sewing Town Bag yesterday…. and finished it! I really don’t think the photograph on the right does it justice, I think it’s totally fabulous (let’s hope my mother-in-law thinks so too). With this project finished, let me share a few thoughts about this bag:
The Good: The Town Bag is a smart looking bag that is very easy to construct – even in leather. I think the hardware on this one is fun and gives it a ready-to-wear style. This bag can easily be made in a day, even if you have little sewing experience.
The Bad: I’m not very keen on how the inside lining of this bag is finished (basically a narrow hem) and think that there are a lot cleaner ways to approach this. I also think that the leather strips on the side need some ‘modifying’. For one, the directions have you placing it right along the top, raw edge of the bag – however, if you do this, you’ll be encasing a portion of strip in the seam allowance (where the bag is attached to the lining). The strip also needs to be about an inch or so longer so that it ends right along the line where you box the corners. This bag is very ‘open’ and really needs some sort of closure or else you’re risking either having someone steal something out of your bag or it all falling out.
Miscellaneous: I would strongly encourage someone working on this bag use a rotary cutter (or very carefully cut their leather) – at least for the side strips because the ‘raw’ edges are exposed and could easily look very messy if the strip is not neatly cut. It is also possible to sew the side strips without the fusible hem tape (I thought I had some in my stash and turns out, I didn’t), but it’s important you sew very carefully and take your time.