Bag Using Embroidered Daffodil--8th Finish for 1st Quarter FAL 2018

Pieces cut and ready for stitching. 

The embroidered daffodil came from my photo of daffodils blooming in our yard years ago. You can read the embroidery post here. I digitized the photo as a lesson in my embroidery software February of 2017. I trimmed the embroidery so that I had a quarter inch seam allowance.

I had planned to make a smaller bag using this embroidery. The problem was that the daffodil was too tall for the bag so I switched to a different style of bag. I had picked batik fat quarters from my over flowing batik FQ stash for the smaller bag. The new bag pattern used half yard pieces of fabric. My goal is to use from my stash of batik FQs so I did a little revising. Also, my stash doesn't have many half yard pieces of batiks so I became creative with the revamping!

I haven't made many bags and I haven't used many patterns in the last 30 years. While I understand that pattern makers conserve space in their patterns by providing few illustrations and abbreviated descriptions, I am finding that an extra illustration or another line of written text might make the stitching more pleasurable! Writing directions is a skill.

Outside zipper pocket

In cutting out this pattern, there was a diagram labeled not to scale; but the size of the pieces wouldn't fit on my fat quarter because when I washed this fat quarter, it shrunk! I changed some of the pocket sizes. I added another fat quarter to the mix. It worked in the end! This pattern suggested decor bond as the stabilizer.  I tried it; but, I have to admit that I wonder how it will wear. Will it get crinkly?

Inside zipper pocket

View of the inside pockets

During construction of the bag, I first stitched the strap. If I were to make this pattern again, I would add webbing to the inside of the strap to strengthen it. Then I stitched the outer pockets. I added an outside zipper pocket to increase the functionality. I also added fabric to the outer edges of the pockets so that the space for the handles would be a little wider. At the end of the project, I was glad that I had done this. I pinned the pockets in place and then stitched them to the bag. Next, I worked on the inside pockets. I was short of fabric, so I pieced the bottle stabilizer. I liked it! I also added interfacing to all the pockets to give them more body. I added a zipper pocket to one of the inside pockets because it is nice to be able to keep an item like change in its place!

Finished bag

To add the pockets, I stitched on the previous stitching line to secure the pockets to either the bag or the lining. I found that my #10 foot made this an easy task as I used the "rudder" to glide next to the pocket and easily stitched in the previous stitches. I liked the effect of the double top stitching!

Preparing the lining for  inserting in to the bag and constructing the bag went well. Soon, I was stitching around the top edge to attach the lining and then I pulled the bag through a hole I had left in the bottom of the lining to expose the right sides of the project. . I top stitched the upper edge and closed the hole in the lining.

I like it! I wish I could keep it; but, it will be either be a Christmas gift or a birthday gift for someone that loves daffodils.

This was goal number 10 on my Finish A Long list and it is finish number 8 this quarter! I used 2 1/4 yards from my stash for a net "loss" of 3 yards! (Only 47 more yards to go to meet my goal for 2018!)