In the Bag

Every hat should have a matching bag, right? Well, maybe not always. However, since our second assignment in Clothing Construction was to make a pillow/bag/or billfold, I went with a bag.  This project was just a small project to show that we can use the sewing machine. Since I consider myself to be somewhat knowledgeable with the machine, I challenged myself a little. I've made bags before, so this time I decided to embellish. I used the left over corduroy and lining from my hat to make a little tote. I found a cute free pattern of a tree online. I used the lining material for the foliage of the tree and some of the corduroy for the trunk. I put some fusible interfacing on the back of the cut outs to make them a little sturdier then used the machine to sew them on, trying to stay as close to the edge as possible. 

It wasn't too difficult, but it wasn't really easy maneuvering around all those corners and curves. Even if the edges fray a little bit, I used a smaller stitch so the applique should not come off. It might have a cute finish with raw edges. This bag perfectly holds my wallet, phone, ipod, little notebook and possibly a diaper clutch. This will be nice for short outings with Fletch, when we don't need the baby backpack.