New Purses

Working this week on some more bags. I have one I really like and a second, well . . . not so much.

The first uses the L2 Sewing Workshop bag, made in the Alexander Henry "Frida's Garden" fabric. It was hard to find this fabric, but I managed! Ms.Kahlo would have been 100 in 2007. I can't say the faces really look like her, but the design gets the jist of her "aura".

I did use the gusset this time. I cut four in fake suede and sewed them in place before putting the entire bag together. This seems easier than waiting until the bag is constructed, then adding the gusset. I also show a photo of the inside of the bag - in this case, it is a striped fabric. Check out the pockets! I am going to prepare at tutorial on the importance of good pockets in bags.

The second bag is not so successful. I decided to fly out on my own, cut a pattern of my design, and while it is OK, it isn't what I hoped. The problem is the handle. I covered cording with the fake suede and it just isn't substantial enough. And I think it looks terrible on the front closing of the bag. Also, I used a quite stiff interfacing, so the top does not droop as gracefully as I'd imagined.

I am going to do some surgery on this bag on the weekend. Cut the handle off and add a different one. Hand stitch the binding in place. Next time, I will add something to create some "thickness" in the body. It is too flat!