I love bag making. In fact, my now 10 year committment to sewing every day began with a book about bag making. It was Christmas 2015, we had just moved back to TX after an overseas assignment and I was embracing the new phase of my life with middle/high school kids. Before all of the boxes were unpacked I had already set up my sewing space and met a woman in the neighborhood who wanted to learn to sew. She and I began making things together in a spare bedroom cluttered with moving boxes. We made throw pillows, seat cushions, Christmas stockings and simple zipper bags.
In the run up to the holidays that year my kids often found me browsing the books in the craft section at Barnes and Noble. I was trying to come up with ideas to sew with my new friend. Little did I know my kids were eyeing my every move! Wrapped under the tree that year were these books I had been flipping through for several months.
If you’re like me you love that period after Christmas when everyone is busy playing, reading or making with their new Christmas gifts. I’m free to sew and make to my heart’s content. I made these bags during that holiday break.
Messenger Bag which was the perfect size for a good hardback book.
Reversible clutch bags which my girls enjoyed.
Small zipper bags for the chapstick, bandaids, feminine napkins, nail clippers, emory boards.
Those first bags lit a fire in my heart for bag making. If you’ve ever lost your sewjo, you know the best way to get it back is a project that brings you back to the fun you know sewing can be! For me that project is a bag. My bagmaking has definitely evolved over the last 10 years. I now enjoy complicated projects that take a few days to complete. It gives me something to think about and distract myself with. When I lay awake, unable to fall asleep at night, I can walk through the steps of bag making and drift off thinking about zippers, pockets and fabrics.
I’ve been away from home for 2 months in SC helping my stepmom recover from a recent illness. I returned home to a clean slate in my sewing room. No lingering project. No idea what garment to make next. I knew just what to do! “I’ll make a bag!”
I decided to make The Professional Tote by Laura Martell from Creative Thimble. She designed a Mini Pro Tote and the original, larger, Professional Tote. The larger bag is perfect for carrying files, magazines, laptop and books in an airport or car to vacation, meetings or even school. The Mini Pro Tote is a smaller version for day to day activities like going to ASG HOUSTON neighborhood group meetings!
This pattern also makes up as a great diaper bag. The larger size Professional Tote makes a great diaper bag for everyday use and the Mini Pro Tote makes a good church, wedding, party, Christmas bag for when you don’t need to pack everything and might want to use an extra special fabric. Here is my newest make!
Making fabric and zipper choices. Green/Blue and yellow/blue quilting cotton from Joann’s. Grunge from Cupcake Quilts. Zippers by the dozen from Zipper Stop website.
Choices made! The pattern comes with printable labels to go with every cut of fabric so you don’t lose track of pieces.
Cutting and assembling! It is so exciting to anticipate the finished bag!
VOILA!!!! She has already made it out in the wild to the Wild Women’s Stitchers’ luncheon this week!
I hope you see what I know in my heart… Bag Making Is Fun!!! That’s why when I need a sewing refresh in my sewing routine I go back to bag making. A fun bag is a great way to interject some diversion in my every day sewing plans and when life has ejected me from my sewing room for any length of time it’s my way of getting back on the Sewing Swing.