Last week Betz White announced her new fabric collection, Dutch Treat and today I’m thrilled to show you what I made with these fabrics…. an adorable Metro Hipster! This is one of my favorite style of bags, not only because it’s a cross-body style (I like the fact I can be hands-free while I shop, etc.), but it’s the perfect carrying size for me (as much as I love the look of big bags, I hate the weight and I feel like Mary Poppins toting them around).

For my version, I wound up using the Dutch Wreath (gray) for the main bag body and the Dutch Floral (blue) for the contrasts. Because the pattern calls for heavier weight material (canvas or mid-weight fabrics) than quilting cottons, I added a bit of woven interfacing to all the exterior pieces which gave it a bit more firmness and helps the bag retain it’s shape nicely. I also skipped the nylon webbing and made my own strapping (from the Dutch Floral)… I never could find a blue I liked as much as this print. For the interior of the bag I used the Dutch Medallion (gray)…. I have to admit, I still haven’t figured out how to capture the inside of a bag well, but I really like the way it turned out:

In fact, I love this fabric so much, I wish I had gotten more – it’s so cute and fun, like a stylized egg print!

Since this isn’t my first time putting together this pattern, I’ll skip over the full review, but I will say it went together nicely (and I love that there’s not lots of bulk to contend with) – although I wish I would have sewn the pocket with the blue medallion lower so that you could see it in between the lobster clasp\d-ring area and not be hidden by the pocket (so the blue color would pop more in the front). Next up…. a matching wallet! I’ve been very ‘matchy-matchy’ lately and have been itching to make a wallet that coordinates with the bag I’m carrying. Hopefully with all the (predicted) rain we’re supposed to have this weekend, I can hole up in my sewing room and sew until it’s finished!