Bag Lady Series Week 3, Sewing Your Bag

Are you ready for this week? Do you have all of your supplies out, scissors sharpened, bobbin threaded, and pattern pieces cut and ready to be assembled? I am, so let’s do this.

However, I can’t possibly start out with a lie…so I am going to be honest about something…I haven’t been feeling very ready to “do this”. I have been really, really nervous about starting to sew this bag. So, I might have procrastinated this project to the very last minute. Like I have mentioned before, this is really one of my first encounters with sewing a pattern. Yikes! Are you feeling that way too?

Well, I found my bag was not going to sew itself and I knew today was coming and that I had to at least start sewing the pieces together no matter how nervous I was. So…I crossed my fingers, grabbed my pile of supplies, my sewing necessities, and my sewing machine…which, by the way, was the best surprise under my Christmas Tree this year. I had no idea what I was getting and when I opened it, a tear might have fallen from my eye. I tried to convince my family I had something in my eye…but coming from the lady who cries at all of the sappy Hallmark Christmas movies I had watched this holiday season, they totally knew I was lying!

My cute husband and mama surprised me with my first sewing machine right after we got married, almost 12 years ago. It was awesome and did the job just perfectly. We sewed a lot of really great and really bad things together, that sewing machine and I, and have shared a lot of words (some good and some not so good). My amazing husband once again surprised me with a sewing machine only this time, this one is probably smarter than I am, and when my husband asked me if it was a good one I had to compare it to a certain vehicle before he understood what a nice machine he had purchased. He is a car and truck fanatic…he got it after the comparison!

Up until sewing this bag, my new machine had sat untouched since Christmas morning. So obviously, he was so afraid that I didn’t love it since I hadn’t given it a try yet. (Truth be known, I just might have been a little intimidated by it and how smart it looked.) He wanted it to be perfect for me and still to this day brags about how it has well over 100 stitches. He has no idea what that means, but I am sure that when the nice lady, at the store, started talking to him she thought to herself, this poor guy has no clue what he is doing or what any of this means. So after multiple calls to my mama with questions about bobbins, feet, decorative stitches, etc. my beautiful machine made it’s way into our car. Hehehe…I am officially in love with it! I have no clue how to do anything but make it sew a straight line, go in reverse, how to change the needle (I already broke 2…how is that possible?), change the bobbin, and thread the machine. I don’t even dare touch any other buttons and when it beeps at me…there is definitely a sense of panic. 🙂

Anyway, back to business! With all of my supplies laid out on my kitchen table and pattern in hand, I began to sew my bag. I am not sure what I was terrified about, because this bag was not hard to sew at all. In fact, once I started sewing it, I truly couldn’t stop! I was having so much fun! The instructions are very clear, the pictures are awesome and the bag went together beautifully! I had so much fun watching the bag come together, although I discovered I am not that great at sewing a straight line. I had to unpick a couple of things and sew it again but all in all, I am so SO proud of myself. I love it so far and can’t wait to finish it and to show it in the big reveal next week. How are your bags coming along? I can’t wait to see everything you have created!

Just in case you are new to our series, this month is all about bags! We are celebrating the bag lady in all of us with the most amazing bag tutorials and every Monday, we have been making this super cute and trendy Carry On bag by Kati Cupcake. I am using Big Dots in Aqua by Moda and Medium Chevron in Orange by Riley Blake. You can find all of the other supplies needed to make your perfect bag right here at The Ribbon Retreat…your one stop shop for all of your bag supplies!

Here is my bag so far…

Do you remember my pile of fabric, decor bond, etc. from last week? I started with this…

And now I have this…

Front Outside Piece

Back Outside Piece

Lining with Inside Pockets

Straps

Even though only one strap is done…you can still see how cute they are. I love the little accents added with the orange chevron fabric and then the little strips of polka dot. So fun!

Fun right? All I have yet to do is put the bottom on this bag and sew the lining and outside of the bag together. I can’t believe how much fun it has been to sew this! I have learned a lot in this process, like to read EVERYTHING before you start to sew, and can’t wait to make another bag with straighter lines…hehe…and hopefully less unpicking! 🙂

What have you learned?

I can’t wait for next week where the funnest show n tell party will be taking place! Please remember to come and link up your bags. Invite your sisters, moms, friends and neighbors to do the same. The more the merrier and remember 5 of the bags will be chosen to be featured on “FAB Creations By You” and those 5 people will receive a little prize!
AND…our giveaway will also start, which is a fabric bundle by none other than the INCREDIBLE Kati Cupcake. This fabric bundle is from her brand new line that hasn’t been released for sale to the public yet. She is giving away fabric from her own personal stash! I am SO excited and so wish I could enter. I wonder if I could enter under a pseudo name??????

Good luck with your sewing this week! 🙂

Happy Creating, Happy Sewing & Happy Bag Ladies!