Flowered Up

Remember when a weekender meant something other than a bag....  distant memories indeed.  A little like the workshop run by Mandy at one of our first EMMQG meetings two years ago next month.  The plan was for us all to make an Amy Butler Weekender bag, guided by Mandy who had already bitten the bullet and made a lovely one.  I could only stay until lunchtime because Forest were playing at home that afternoon!  I managed to get some (but not all) of the pieces cut out before heading home to look after the wee man while his dad went off to the footie.  The bag pieces were packed in a box and shoved under the wardrobe.

About 6 months later, I sewed up one of the sides of the bag, added piping (really badly) and again it was all packed away.... out of sight, out of mind.

Last month, nearly two years since starting, I decided to pull out the box from under the wardrobe and finish the b*gger!  I was working on half memories of other people's experiences and working with some dodgy sewing done 18 months ago.  I mostly ignored the pattern instructions and decided to do a couple of things differently....

I put a zipped pocket on one side....

trust me, that pocket has a zip!

 I put a seam in the middle of the pocket on the other side....

honest guv!

I used leather handles that I've had for years, bought for some forgotten project, instead of the fabric ones.  I didn't put pockets at the ends of the zipper panel, just because.  And I kind of sewed the lining in as I went along, which kind of sort of worked....

didn't all go according to plan....

And after some focussed sewing days, I had a finished bag....

It's sooooooo not perfect but it's ok.  The whole experience did allow me to see how much better my sewing is now than then.  The bits I did two years ago annoy me a little because I would do them better now but still I am glad it's done. If I was a good girl, I would unpick some of it and redo but that ain't going to happen.  Made with some of my most precious MM fabrics, it is now my sewing machine bag and I love it!  AND it's finally off my flipping WIP list - woohoo!  I feel a little lighter :)

PS a little musical interlude for those of you in a nostalgic mood...now where did I put that smiley face t-shirt......?