I heart piping. And I adore linen, for just about any sewing project. AND I love circles and rounded edges and adding those to my designs. This bag brings them all together–it’s the third of four original patterns included in the Everyday Handbags e-course starting on April 29. This one has both interior and exterior pockets, two straps, a wide base for a roomy inside, and a cute, cute shape.
I wanted the overall design to be as close to a circle as I could make it, when you look a the body of the bag in conjunction with the straps. The piping on this one goes all the way around the bottom of the bag to join with the straps, making one continuous line, which I love. I used the whole idea of “juicies and blahs” that I read about in Mason-Dixon Knitting to bring together a natural linen and hot, hot pink piping–but I think this bag would look equally great with any print and piping combination.
Both those exterior pockets are functional, too–did I mention that? The criss-cross one another on the front of the bag, and are deep enough to hold your phone or your keys or a pair of sunglasses or your shopping list or a small sketchbook. And all those things will be right where you can get to them, and not trapped under your wallet or a bag of crackers or a stuffed toy that you just might, maybe, be toting around for someone else. There’s room for that in the main compartment, though, don’t worry!
The bag has a nice, wide gusset for a broad base–lots of space in here. But it’s still not huge, and will fit neatly under your arm without weighing you down. I think this bag has a balance of roominess between the Poolside Tote and the Asymmetrical Clutch, while keeping some of the best qualities of each.
I tend to do most of my pattern designing while driving the car. True story. So I spent a lot of post-school-pickup days driving home on the highway thinking about how the straps would fit into the overall design and how the pockets would overlap one another and how much space there ought to be inside and how many interior pockets to add (answer: two). I love how it turned out, and can’t wait to see dozens of versions of it! Get the pattern included in registration for the Everyday Handbags E-course–along with three more, plenty of video guidance, and four weeks of sewing with a great group of folks who are totally getting what you’re into. Yay!
