Bagging

My best friend Dace's gorgeous daughter asked me to make her a bag for her 21st birthday (tomorrow). A sort of red sort of a messenger bag sort of thing.
I was dead chuffed, and, of course, left everything until the last 48 hours before getting started. Just like last time.
Lily told me there was no point in making a messenger bag that wouldn't take a laptop, so after a bit of research and a lot of google images, I worked one out.I needed quite a bit of thinking and swearing time when it came to the gusset, and again with fitting and lining the flap ... but the closure idea came from pictures of an Amy Butler bag. There is a huge zip pocket on the outside back of the bag, pockets across the front, and an even bigger one right across the inside back, as well as custom-fitted pockets for iPhone, pens, camera and anything else.The wonderful hand-printed outer fabric, which I got from Materialise (click over there on the right -->) is a sturdy twill that I reinforced with very stiff iron-on interfacing. I had trouble trying to centre the pattern because it isn't exactly symmetrical. But once I'd realised that, I was okay.
I also had trouble banging in the press studs, and working out how the strap adjuster worked, given that this cryptic drawing was the only guidance the manufacturer, Birch, sees fit to provide (it's bloody useless). Fortunately, I was able to take everything over to Nick, who easily and efficiently fixed it all for me.
Dace had thrown me a curve ball by saying this bag had to be h-u-g-e, and by holding out her hands to show something vaguely the size of half a fridge. But my research in cyber-webby land all pointed to a bag that would fit a 14" (36 cm) laptop, so that's what I made.
Only dang is that I'll miss the party tomorrow night, or most of it, because I'll be at work. But I'll rock up on my way home for a piece of birthday cake and a hug.

Bag #1

I didn't mean this one to be anything more than an experiment. I wanted to try metallic thread and play around with my sewing machine tension. So I just started playing on a piece of old felt, doing zig-zags and applique with some squares cut from a fabric selvedge.

But then I thought I might as well finish it.

It's just a bit bigger than a paperback book; the sort of bag you'd take with you if you were going out for the night and wanted a small bag with just enough room for your mobile phone, keys, lipstick and cash.

The front's made from bits and pieces from things like a Thai cushion and an old kimono, and the back panel is just one rectangle of black silk from the lining of an old obi.

I lined it with two pieces of cotton from my stash, and put in a phone pocket on one side:

and a zippered pocket on the other.

The pocket lining is weird, huh? I like my zippered pockets to have a little surprise inside, as you can tell from this one:

When it was finished, I showed it to Will (my style counsel) who examined it closely and didn't like it at all. The felt was cheap-looking, the machine embroidery too irregular, the silver metallic thread too sparkly, the whole thing too wonky. Sigh ... he's right! But he liked the inside. And: "You've made better, Mum. Much better."

I enjoyed playing around with it, though, and making it has given me lots of ideas for bag #2 and #3.

Papercut today.

:: Just bragging. I got 140 points for this word, 'bleaters', in Scrabble (the facebook app one)!

Two triples and a seven-letter bingo with a 50-point bonus! However, my opponent, Yagya, from India, is still beating me in this game. She is GOOD!