Crafty

I tackled a project last night that I was not too sure about.  A friend asked me to make a purse for her sister.  I have made purses before (nothing fancy, mind you, I don't do zippers yet) but I have always followed a pattern.  This one she wanted me to copy from a cloth purse that she already had.  It looked pretty simple, and she promised me it was low-pressure and no one would cry if I screwed it up, so I agreed to do it.

This is the original bag that she wanted me to copy.

So she bought the fabric and I bought a couple of yards of muslin to make my own pattern (very Project Runway, no?).  And it turned out to be super easy!  I might have a couple of seams that didn't align perfectly, but they didn't align perfectly on the original bag either.  And I was slightly annoyed that in spite of my careful efforts, the stripe pattern didn't line-up quite perfectly on the sides (stripes are hard).  And next time I would make the handles slightly wider at the bottom so that they come together in the front and the back.  But still.  I was quite pleased with the result.  It has lining and a pocket and everything!  David was so impressed that I made it without a pattern.  It was actually like putting a puzzle together, which was kind of more fun than trying to decipher the cryptic directions that come with some sewing patterns.

And it took me a few hours from start to finish, but I made the entire purse without cursing at my sewing machine, so that is a new record.

And this is my version.

I'm not quite ready to open my own Etsy shop, but it's definitely put me in the mood for more sewing!  Maybe I'll get to some of those Baby Duck projects after all...