My Sister-In-Law's Birthday Gift

Ever since my 7th grade home economics teacher told me I had no sewing talent (I may have called her a bad word in response and was instantly put into shop class), I have wanted to learn to sew. Bonus Mom taught me the basics (something the home ec teacher managed to overlook). I've dabbled for years, here and there. But I really didn't have time until we moved here to delve into this hobby. There's so much more to it than putting the fabric between under the needle and pushing the foot pedal. Who knew?! 

Anyway, for Squirrel's wife's birthday, I made this bag for her. I bought the pattern. The directions turned out to be written by someone who does not speak English as their first language. I watched several videos and then modified the pattern. It was more engineering than sewing when the project was done. I was hoping to finish this in one day, but when I realized I took out the wrong seam Saturday night, I opted to make it a two day project. Unfortunately, nothing else around here got done.  

A tote bag is deceptively difficult. Because the bottom fabric was a print, I had to position the pattern on the fabric in such a way that I'd get some floral background and not cut off the actual flowers. It is really easy to miss this step. Additionally, the pattern called for some abnormally skimpy straps. I added an inch of fabric to the straps so they would look a normal size.  

The pattern did not come with a lining. I wanted to make the inside nice (it's a gift) and not show the unsightly seams. So, I engineered an interior lining, which had to be sewed separately and then dropped in once the bag was done. Then, I had to sew the bag and the lining together. Oh, I thought an interior pocket might be nice too. So, there's that. 

The finished product.

The pattern called for a zipper. However the directions were bizarrely unclear as to how to make this work with the pattern. Plus, with the lining, the engineering behind it was beyond my skill level. I couldn't find a YouTube video that showed me a reasonable way to put a zipper in that didn't include summoning a shaman.  

I added a zippered coin purse just because. Yes, the flowers are cut off. It was leftover fabric.