More sewing...

So for the sewing classes I’ve joined the tutor gave us a list of things we needed, you know the usual stuff, scissors, measuring tape, tailors chalk etc etc. I was merrily putting all the stuff in one of my bags until I came to the last thing on the list….a lever arch file, there was no way one of those was going to fit in ANY of my bags. So the solution to my problem?? I thought “hey I can make a bag!” so off I went to make a bag….. And the thing didn’t half take me ages to make!!
I think it’s because it was the first bag I’ve made and also I have occasional tendencies to do things my way, which isn’t necessarily the right way! I think my design specification was quite complicated too, I needed a strong bag, with a lining (which caused most of the trauma!), very spacious inside (thus needing side and bottom panels) and complete with strong handles which will withstand the weight of all the stuff inside. So the whole bag took about two weeks of sporadic sewing sessions to finish off, much longer than I had expected it to take!
I was impressed by the finished product, however I was left pondering over whether there was an easier/quicker way to make a spacious bag, plus lining and strong handles. Thus I embarked upon a virtual mission to find the ultimate tote bag tutorial (a spacious one, plus lining and strong handles of course), one that is short and sweet, clear and succinct and most of all is quick and easy!!
But alas it was not to be, maybe it was just me not “getting it”, but I couldn’t find one that I could understand. So my next step was to actually make a prototype bag following some of the tutorials I had found, which made the whole process a lot easier! But again most of the tutorials had something missing, for example one may not have strong/reinforced handles, others may not have enough depth. So I mixed and I matched and I added abit of my own random touches and I developed my own tutorial ….which will be coming very soon (heehee)…in the mean time I’ll leave you with a few pictures of my sewing bag…..