The next stop.....

In my quest to make the City & Guild Accessory project, I started working on what I think will be the design for the bag. I will make the final bag in leather which I have never worked with before so that will be a challenge. I decided to work on the design and get that right first. Being such a bag novice I had to finish the bag completely in order to see how it turned out. Couldn't really picture it in my mind. This is what I ended up with: I've got the size right but the sides of the bag is angled too much inwards, making the opening a bit too tight for my liking. So I will have to adjust my design to allow for a wider opening. The handle length is right - it hangs comfortably on my shoulder. Next step after the opening is deciding on how to embellish the bag and make it interesting....... Then I will actually make it in leather. More to come!

Be warned!

Somebody clever once said: "You need to know the rules so you know when to break them." It is usually a good idea to read the instruction the first time you sew a new pattern. Well, I'm not known for reading the instructions am I?! So in a fit of temporary insanity, I decided to read and follow the instructions when making up Simplicity 3799 for the second time. Don't ask me why I decided to do things differently when I was very pleased with the first version that I made. I guess I'm looking for new and different ways to screw my sewing up. I am referring to the neck line. When sewing the neck band, the instructions tell you to clip and notch it before turning. Well, DON'T. I didn't bother doing it on the first top (turned out great). Just a bit of good pressing. I did it on the second top and that made the whole neck band uneven. See? Especially on the right side........ So the moral of this story is: If it's not broken, Susan will break it!