So I purchased the pattern but summer came and went and I hadn't made the bag. To be fair living in London I don't often find myself at the poolside (!) but the bag is roomy so will be appropriate for all the baby 'stuff' I drag around with me on a daily basis!
My favourite part of crafting is choosing my fabric. As soon as I saw this pattern I thought of the Cotton & Steel August collection by Sarah Watts. The lions are so gorgeous and really striking up close. I brought the canvas lion fabric at the Festival of Quilts earlier this year without a specific project in mind. I purchased it from the Eternal Maker stall, who have such an array of gorgeous fabrics including lots of Japanese prints which I love. The girls on the stand are also super lovely even when they are so busy. I've also ordered online from their store and again great choice and good service. I think a trip to their shop is on my 2015 Bucket List!
Cotton & Steel fabrics are great as their designs all compliment each other. So I knew I had to choose a print from the same line for the interior. I fell in love with this grey fabric.
But grey is my go to colour & I'm trying to move away from always choosing the grey so I opted for the green version instead. (Still thinking I need to purchase the grey just in case I need it in the future :) I brought these fabrics from The Village Haberdashery in West Hampstead who stock the entire Cotton & Steel range.
For the handle, facing and accent pieces I brought some cream canvas from Saeeds Fabrics in Walthamstow. At £5 per meter it was the cheapest part of the bag. In hindsight I wish I had gone for a bolder colour than cream but I am still happy with the end result. The same for the zip. I wasn't sure which colour to choose so I went for black. May be a blue would have been better or a cream to match the handles.
I downloaded the pdf pattern and cut out the templates. There are not too many pieces and you have the option of a slip or zip front pocket. I went with a zip pocket as it feels more secure.
When it came to cutting out the fabric the pattern was easy to understand and clearly illustrated. However, I do most of my sewing late at night when my little one is in bed so I get confused very easily. There's a handle and handle accent to cut out as well as facing lining and the exterior with pockets. I had to keep referring back to the diagrams to ensure I was cutting the right piece out of the right fabric.
Once the pieces were cut, assembly was straight forward. Considering how large and smart the bag looks I had thought construction was going to be much more difficult. I got myself confused with attaching the lining but again late night seeing was to blame, the pattern was written out fine, my brain just read it differently!
The bag feels so sturdy it's great. I am used to seeing tote bags but using canvas fabric and interfacing creates a strong finish.
(this pic came out dark as it was near midnight - late night sewing again- but it looks so striking in the day light)
Very pleased how this has turned out. Wish the pattern also came with a template for a smaller version that I could use as an everyday handbag.
Cotton & Steel fabric was made for this project. I've seen some great versions on Instagram using the mustang canvas and the arrows cotton.
I didn't want to waste the selvage. I ironed on the Cotton & Steel logo and the words of wisdom onto some interfacing and roughly sewed them into the lining before seeing the lining to the exterior.
Possibly a Christmas gift for a loved one?
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