I've been meaning to tell you this story for a while now, but I wanted to do another test run of the pattern before doing so. Finally, I found time to do both!
You see, last holiday break my granddaughter came for a sleepover (this is what we do each holiday break), and for this visit she wanted to do some sewing to make a new project bag for her crochet.
We chose fabrics, I helped her cut out the pieces accurately, then she began to sew, starting with the handle straps.
I taught her my trick for making no-turning handles and suggested she use a zigzag to stitch them instead of my usual straight stitching lines, which meant if she went a little wayward, it wouldn't matter. (She's not a very experienced machinist)
The self-lined pocket was easy to make. She sewed divisions in it so it didn't gape.
She found the handles easy to attach as they are stitched on first while the bag is flat. I did mention she should check that they are not twisted before stitching them in place.
With them attached, we laid out the bag pieces ready to sew.
The pattern includes decorative boxed corners - she accomplished this with ease.
Then, with a little help with pressing and positioning the lining inside the bag, she pinned it in place and stitched round the top - absolutely no hand sewing with no raw edges exposed!
We added a drawstring to finish it off. In little under 2 hours, Isabella had made her very own project bag.
Her teddy tested it out too!
These project bags make great gifts. Perhaps next visit, Isabella will make another and give it to her sister as a gift. If you'd like to grab a copy of this pattern, you can find it here: Drawstring Project Bag
