Friday, July 11, 2014

What's your favorite bag?

I love sewing bags. They are practical, fun, easy to customize and relatively quickish projects. I've sewn so many bags but there are a few that are my tried and true favorites. They are my favorites because of the features and the end result of the bag.







This is my all time favorite bag pattern. It is somewhat more labor intensive than the others because this bag packs a Ron of features. I carried my first Lapin Noir to death. There are so many pockets and compartments it makes someone as unorganized as me seem put together. There is a cell phone pocket on the front, which means no digging through your bag to find your phone.








This bag is found in the book Sew Serendipity Bags by Kay Whitt. It's not available as a stand alone pattern but this book is totally worth this bag alone. It's a nice mid size handbag that has the addition of grommets. The grommets make a statement themselves but this bag is such a quick and easy sew. It doesn't have as many features as some of the other bags but the shape and look of the bag is classic.






This bag is actually a free tutorial on the Sweet Verbena site and was my introduction into sewing zippered bags. This bag is an incredibly quick sew and is a wonderful size for a pool tote or overnight bag. This bag is less structured than I normally like, but it totally works for this bag. It's made with a series of squares and rectangles and you can make a fairly large bag with a relatively small amount of fabric. If you can sew a zippered pouch (or even if you can't, you can make this bag).




This is THE ultimate wallet. I've made several and the wallet looks much more complicated than it is. It can hold an incredible amount of stuff and the shape of the bag is just gorgeous. I've made so many of these and everyone I have given one too is in love with the features of this wallet as well. This wallet was my first introduction into twist locks and I love them so much now!






This is another go to bag for me. I love everything about it. It is such a quick sew and there are different pocket variations included with the pattern so you can completely customize it to suit you. This is a medium sized hand bag but with all kinds of pocket variations, this bag can hold a lot more than it seems. This bag introduced me to sewing zippered pockets and the pattern is very easy to follow, even if you've never sewn a bag.






I've made several of these now, and I absolutely love the way they come together. The addition of front accent pieces really make the exterior pop and it's another bag that has a classic look. It's a largish handbag but would also work well as a small diaper bag. 






Ok, so I've only made one of these bags but it is such an awesome, awesome bag. There is a lot of hardware involved in this bag (which can be somewhat intimidating to those who haven't used a lot before), but it's all really, really doable. I promise! This is another bag that uses grommets, both functionally and as a design feature. This was the first time I have used eyelets and the process was really, really simple (no cursing at all). I can also say that this was maybe the ONLY bag I've ever made that I haven't had to use the seam ripper the first time I sewed it (which is typically a reflection of me more than the instructions...I'm really dense sometimes). 

Although these are my favorite patterns, there are many more out there from these  incredibly talented designers. I've sewn almost every one of the bags by Sew Sweetness and you seriously can not go wrong with buying any of her patterns. I've also sewed several Emmaline Bags as well and they are all incredibly wonderfully written as well.

I love finding new bag patterns and designers and would love to hear what some of your favorites are. 




5 comments:

RaspberrySunshine said...

I love all these patterns! You've done a great job on your bags and I love the fabric choices :) The bag I seem to be using lately is my Anna Maria Horner Right-Turn Bag (on Janome website) It's a simple tote that has been given a unique look, but it's slouchy and makes me think of summer :) Cindy

Jake said...

Love the Lapin Noir! I made mine without the outside pocket. While I love an outside picket, I thought the look of it on this particular bag makes it look kinda...well, just not nice.
Annas 241 is definately popular! Easy to make and cute!
But i think my favorite all time bag is the original Emmaline bag! I coveted this Pattern for a LONG time before I bought it but I'm so glad I finally did! I absolutely love the style though, as with al my bags, I customize the insides.
I've just purchased The City Slicker by Chris W and am excited about that!
I really want to try The Quatro by StudioKat but after purchasing the Boho bag pattern, I'm reluctant as the instructions seem waaay more Difficult than they needed to be.
And the two zip hipster by Dog Under my Desk is very popular but certainly not my style.

I DO wish all bag makers would include a diagram of the completed purse with a number label for each piece of it so it is easier to choose materials as we want....and then
Just match those numbers with the pattern piece. I know they are named, but a diagram is so much easier!
I love hearing about your bag making!

Missy Shay said...

I love several of the same bags you do!

Gina's Craft Corner said...

Thanks so much for taking the time to list your favorite bags. It's helpful to have a go to list when trying to decide what to do next. I really want to try Janelle's walelt! I have not put in a twist lock yet, and really want to add that to my list. I love Chris W's patterns and make her Bella Bag a lot.

Jake said...

You don't happen to have any of that Joel Dewberry fabric left over in your stash you would consider selling to me would you? While I typically do not like red (I have almost none in my curated textile collection), I'm sooooooo in love with that poppy print/color combo. Please let me know!