I’ve been making a few bags lately and thought I’d show you because there’s some newer patterns on the market if you fancy making one yourself!

The ones at the top of this post are the Celosia crossbody bag by Blue Calla patterns. I made three simultaneously over the course of about 3 months. I cut out the pieces while doing a night class on Zoom (I was ahead of the class, it’s fine), then the pieces laid around for ages while I got hardware, lining and the courage together! For such a simple shaped bag, there’s quite a lot of pieces for the pockets and then there’s the foam which I ran out of… and so I put in orders for the hardware and then got some suit lining and some extra interfacing, etc. Over the Christmas week I finally sewed them together (it was a bit hairy at the final assembly stage because my lining gusset was too long every time and I may have read the zipper insertion instructions wrong). I’m very pleased with the result though. I am using the bright coloured one and the other two are in my Etsy Shop.

Before these, I made two matching H2O 2Go Sling bags by LindsHandmade. I watched on Instagram as this pattern was put together and then grabbed it as soon as it was released because I almost always take a coffee when Hank goes to the dog park and have nowhere to put my empty cup afterwards. This has a front pocket that is ideal for my car key and poo bags since that’s basically all I need to take with me. I lined it with lunchbag fabric over the top of canvas so when there is an inevitable leak, it can be wiped. I made one for me and one for my Etsy shop.

I also made a Flair crossbody by Bagstock patterns, because I really loved this fabric. Because I Carry a large wallet though, I tried it out and decided this one was for the Etsy shop too as it was a bit of a squeeze.

I also made a couple more Squiffy bags this autumn after trying out the Flair. I think I was going to use one for myself but it is a touch too small for all the stuff I carry around. I retired my previous bag so I tried out a couple before I settled on the Celosia. I like having a separate front pocket so I can always find my keys!

In the summer I also made the Dayna pack (also by LindsHandmade) because I thought this might be good for dog walking too but I think I’m more likely to carry a drink around with me. I changed it a bit to whack in some eyelets rather than adding tabs and D-Rings. That part was fun and I’d never done that before. It’s a very quick sew which is very satisfying.

I have another Linds pattern I plan to make soon because I need a new wallet. It’s called the Marilyn Wallet and it has everything I’m looking for – a big zipped pocket for coins on the outside and room for lots of cards (and receipts and general garbage I like to carry around) on the inside.

It’s nice to have a variety of different things to sew. My next post will be about some growth in my dressmaking skills.