Sunday, June 5, 2011

Oops...

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Lesson learned: attach the band before attaching the pocket to make sure the two are parallel. Oops. Luckily I only basted the pocket on, so it was relatively quick & easy to take off to reposition.

So far I've only gotten as far as getting the exterior put together, excluding the "hip" pieces. My thoughts so far...

I'm making the small version, and it definitely is small. I knew it would be judging from the picture in the book, but I guess I still didn't know exactly what to expect.

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The pattern piece for the top band says to make it 8.5 inches, but after I sewed the pleat in the bag, the top of it was only 8 inches. I'm not sure if it's something I did wrong, or if the pattern just calls for extra on each side.

Speaking of the pleat, it was kind of awkward to figure out. I'm never certain just how pleats are supposed to fall all the way down the bag, so I just compared it to the pocket piece I had cut out. I was surprised at how much smaller the pocket piece is than the exterior. I got to thinking about it, and when you put stuff in it the pleat will open up making a little more room.

The photo above is actually the exterior of my bag, I decided to add a pocket to the outside. I haven't made up my mind yet whether I want to put one on the inside. It basically would just divide the inside into two separate compartments rather than being it's own separate pocket. Make sense? The solid purple band at the top of my pocket is just a piece of bias tape that I sandwiched around the top of the two pocket pieces.

I haven't sewn the hip pieces on yet, and while I think they're a really cute detail on the bag, I'm wondering how easy they'll be to put on. Like I said, the small version only has an 8 inch opening in the top, so it could be tough getting it on the machine to add the hip pieces. We'll see how it goes, I may end up leaving them off. Either way, I think it'll still look good since it's got the contrasting band on the top.

So far it's come together fairly quick & easy. I only have to cut out & put together the interior & strap, then I'll be ready to put it all together. Hopefully the rest is as easy as it's been so far. Other than my own silly mistake sewing the pocket on crooked, it's been a pleasant experience.

I think I've said it every month since January, and I'll say it again - I'm pretty certain this one is easier than the Cosmo Bag. So if you conquered that beast, you can certainly tackle this one! :)

I hope every body's having a good weekend!

Until next time...

9 comments:

  1. Like your idea of an outside pocket instead of an inside one for this ... I think I'll follow your lead. I've decided to make the small one even if my big wallet doesn't fit. If I don't find a use for it, I'll give it away. The pattern pieces have been found and cut, but I haven't chosen my fabrics yet.

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  2. Oh, it's easier than the Cosmo? Awesome!

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  3. Oh I love your fabrics, and glad your oops was an easy fix :-)

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  4. lol that it's easier than the cosmo. Funny that she chose to start her book with that one. Love where you are going with this.

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  5. I have my fabric cut out (not the interfacing) and hope to get putting it together later this week. I am glad I'm making the large, you just talking about sewing on those "hips" with such a small opening makes me nervous!

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  6. Nice fabric choices! Glad you were able to fix your band issue and I hope the other sizing issues work out ok. Keep us posted!

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  7. Oh dear, I haven't tackled the Cosmo bag, just leaping straight in with this one! Interesting to see what you say about the size, I was also going to do the small one, hadn't thought about trying to sew the band on. Off to measure round the free arm on my machine...

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  8. I also wondered about the pleat. Did you iron the pleat all the way to the edge? I only ironed mine about half to three quarters down. Instructions weren't specific and that's how I thought the photo looked in the book. I also added a recessed zipper so the top is closed and I lengthened the shoulder strap. I like your choice of fabric.

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  9. I did iron it all the way to the edge so the size would match up with the pocket piece. I agree, the pattern was a little confusing there & the picture didn't help a whole lot. When I only ironed it part way, the pocket piece wouldn't have matched up. I did think about adding a magnetic snap, but probably won't on the small version since it isn't very big.

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Thank you for your comments, I appreciate each & every one I get. I do try to respond to most (if not all) comments, but that's hard to do if you don't have an e-mail in your profile! :)