I’m a sewing maniac over here lately…just ask my husband. 😉 And my sewing machine! (Poor thing…I’ve finally given it a little love and attention and cleaned and oiled it!)
My dear friend Kaelin and I run the Goodie Bag Swap over at Flickr. This is our second round and this time I put myself in the intermediate category instead of the beginner. Oh dear. I’ve sewn all kinds of things in my lifetime…I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember. But bags are just a little out of my comfort zone I guess. I can do them, but I really have to push myself.
I’m not at the point where I am super comfortable designing my own patterns or even modifying a pattern very much, so it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make for my partner. I searched a bunch of bag patterns out there and finally found one from Valori Wells called the Mina Bag. I haven’t really seen this one made before, so I was intrigued right there. You know…because I could do it the hard way. 😉 With no help.
I like the simple shape but little details like the pleats and the hardware. Their chosen color combo is kind of hurting their sales of the pattern I think though. There aren’t too many people out there with a blue bag in this shade. And I LOVE blue. lol. Plus there wasn’t any doubt that my partner would prefer colors a little more subtle.
That gusseted side was of course trickier than I wanted it to be…this is why I don’t make box pillow cushions very often. But I prevailed and it all worked out. The bag is fully lined with Katie Jump Rope dots and has one small pocket. I definitely think that a clever person could add some nice details to make the interior more functional. There’s plenty of room in there!

I didn’t use any extra interfacing, which I could have for a sturdier bag. But I wanted to experiment with the fabrics I had. I always use fusible fleece in bags lately and it can be bulky. So I wanted to see how this did without it. Frankly I thought it did fine. I might add a covered hard plastic or cardboard to the bottom of the bag interior for some extra shape, but it’s certainly sturdy enough with out it.
One thing I did discover is that my sewing machine actually sews the multiple layers better with a regular foot rather than my walking foot. I thought I was being all clever by using my walking to foot to sew the bulky parts of the bag. But my machine just “walked” right over them! It was crazy. I had to put the bag aside for a couple of days before I tackled it again. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that my machine had no problems when I used a regular foot. Go figure.
But it really all came together for me when I added the very last details of the button and the fabric flower. The button is part of my little stash of buttons I’ve acquired from saving all those extra buttons that garments often come with. The fabric flower was made from voile scraps and based on the tutorial here.
In fact, the only thing that I bought for this bag was the hardware and I spent about $3 on that! Woohoo! Another stash buster project. And a little shout out to Jennifer and Elena for the Oslo fabric used in the main body of the bag.
This is one swap where I know that partner already loves the bag and she doesn’t know it is for her. 😉 Fun!
Wow, that turned out really great! Looks like a designer bag.
Fab! 🙂
Love it! They should put your bag on the cover of their pattern!
oh oh, is it me? I'd love this one! That flower just pushes this bag over the top! I didn't even notice the KJR lining before! Yep, ok, I decided you can send this to me–partner schmartner!
Fabulous! I agree about the blue fabric in the pattern photo…your fabric choices are a great improvement. I'm sure your partner will love it!
I'd never have guessed that bags were out of your comfort zone.
Your bag is way better than the blue one! So beautiful!
It looks great. I particularly like the contrast you get from the two outer fabrics. Looks much better than the blue prototype
WOW, I thought the first picture was from a catalogue or promotion picture, it took me scrolling down to realise it was the bag you made!! Really pretty and I'm jealous!
I love this bag – you must be so pleased with how it turned out. It was so interesting reading you're not so comfortable making bags and doing your own or altering patterns. I don't see my self as a confident sewer in most respects even though I've been doing it for years. The only difference is bags. I just love making bags and when I started making them it didn't occur to me there would be patterns (duh!) so I just made it up as I went along.
this bag is GORGEOUS!!! the pattern should feature yours instead; you're right about their bold colors. love it!
Beautiful bag Angela, you have one very lucky partner!!
My crafty aunt shared a "new to me" tip for bags that need a little extra support in the bottom… instead of cardboard (which is not washable) or hard plastic (which is… Uh… hard), use plastic canvas – the wide mesh plastic that kids use for crafts (I remember using it to do cross stitch and embroidery with yarn and a yarn needle before I was trusted with a real needle). I dunno if it has another name… if you don't know what I mean let me know.
Use a single layer for light support. Stitch two layers together for sturdy support. It's flexible and washable. Love it.
Also — this bag is TO DIE. I might need to invest in this pattern… 🙂
Very pretty, love the fabric choices!
The bag is gorgeous! Your partner will be thrilled. I just mailed mine out today, can't wait to see my partner's reactions 🙂
very pretty Angela!
Sadly I know this time it can't be coming to me since I'm not in the swap this time…
I LOVE Jessica's Outside Oslo fabric. What did you use for the band on top? It is the perfect complement!
So, so cute Angela! Great job. I love the fabric you paired with the Oslo. It all looks fabulous! What a lucky partner.
Thanks for joining in, Angela. Good luck!
It's super cute! You know how much I love the Jessica Jones fabric. Your details are wonderful, and it's exciting that you already know your partner loves it!
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
Wow, you are definitely not a beginning, this is a beautiful bag!