Vogue 8506

I'm, I guess, content with my bag.  It looks good and is functional, but I get so frustrated by the 'home-sewn' quality of notions that I can get my hands on and my lack of experience sewing bags finely.  My bags always look home-sewn to me.  Gah!  

I think it's a combination of materials chosen, notions available, sewing machine techniques and pressing equipment.  I've seen a very few beautifully sewn bags on PatternReview, but they've been rare.  I just wish I could make that skill leap. 

Happy things instead.

I've been gathering Rowan yarns for a Kaffe Fassett cardigan from Rowan 31.  This is it on Ravelry.  It's a lovely combination of wide stripes of purples and reds.  A lot of the colors are discontinued, so I'm approximating madly.

They're like candy kisses.

Summer Bag

I decided to join in the PatternReview Bag Contest.  I've never quite completed anything for any kind of sewing contest or sewalong.  But a bag?  Surely even I can commit to a bag in a month.  Because if I can't, I really have a serious problem.

This is a print from Kokka Fabrics (Japanese), for View D from Vogue 8506.

It's a lightweight print, so I fused it with Vilene H410 and used muslin for interlining.  I'm hoping it's the right combination for a semi-structured bag like this.  A PR member mentioned using many layers of fusing to get just the right texture and weight for a handbag.  It had never occurred to me before to do this, but so far it's working out right.

The pattern is great, bar a few problems.  It's clear without being verbose (you hear me, Amy Butler???)

Meanwhile my winter project is languishing without a hem.  This is Vintage Vogue 2884.

I changed the lapel roll and it's beautiful.  But everytime I try to buckle down and sew up the hem, the sun comes out and the temperature hits the 70's.  So I grab the cottons and linens.  And then it snows.  Aye!!  This is the sad lot of the procrastinators.