Adding three more handmade Christmas projects on my way to a full dozen. Today’s projects are all handmade bags!
This is my mom’s new Christmas bag. She asked me to make her one like the one that I made for her when she visited a few years ago only in black and red. I used my now out-of-print Sammi Grace Bag pattern and modified it just a little by adding a button closure with a fabric-covered button and piecing the outside in strips. Inside, there’s a divider and several pockets for cell phone, pen or pencil and business cards.
Next up is my sister’s gift. She didn’t offer any suggestions for what she’d like, but she does love green, and everyone can use a nice tote bag, right? I had a picture in my head of how I wanted this bag to look, but I really made the pattern up as I went along. I love that it’s really a simple tote, but it has a much dressier look to it!
Finally, my middle niece, asked me to sew her a messenger bag like the one that I did for her older sister a few years ago. I pulled out my messenger bag tutorial and went to work. I added a machine-applique penguin and a magnetic snap to the flap. About 3/4 of the way through assembly, at the point where I was ready to sew the flap to the outer section of the bag, I realized that I had sewn the body layers together sideways. I sort of liked the longer, narrower look . . . and I really didn’t want to rip the whole thing apart so I trimmed down the sides of the flap to match the new width and went with it.
I have to end with a few fun pictures. (My apologies that they are icky flash pictures. There was an incident this same night involving my 18-55mm camera lens, so I’m currently operating with just the 70-300mm which doesn’t work with my light scoop.) Our oldest son, Sean, and his friend, Josh, spent a few minutes frosting, decorating and eating sugar cookies with us on Sunday night. They were on their way out to an Ugly Christmas Sweater party, so they were dressed in sweaters that they tell me were borrowed from Josh’s grandmother. (Adding a note here that I am not saying these are ugly sweaters at all! Loud and very Christmas-y? Very much! But, ugly? I’ve seen uglier.)
