In my last post , I said that I would have have something to show you on my next post. :) The Diva Essential Designer Bag (designed by Lynndi Enright) is finished! I made it with lightweight denim and Mickey Mouse Fabric because I plan on using this bag when I am visiting Walt Disney World soon! When I first mentioned making this bag here, I just knew that I had some denim in my stash...somewhere! I looked and looked but didn't find it. Have you ever wanted to make a project and the end up going to the store to purchase supplies that you think you already have (but can't find), and then end up going more then once to purchase more things for that same project? Joann's Trip #1 - purchase denim fabric. I knew I had velcro tape at home along with the needed batting and Mickey fabric so all was good! No need to buy any more additional supplies, or so I thought. Before I talk more about my other trips to Joann's, this is what the bag looks like folded up to use as a tote.
Inside there are a lot of pockets along all four sides. (On a side note here, check out my fingernails. The gal who does my nails added some Mickey Heads on some of my nails the other day. I love them! I'm not sure you can really see them, but that is what the little black spots are on my nails.) :-)
This is a shot of one of the pockets on the end. It is called a secret pocket. When I saw this in the pattern I will admit, I was skeptical and couldn't quite figure out how it would really be a secret. Well, the top edge of the pocket is so close to the top of the bag you really don't see it unless you know it is there! The long piece of velcro really holds it shut. It looks like the perfect hiding place for a boarding pass or some other kind of important paper or item that you don't want to loose or that you want to have easy access to.
Trip #2. It was time to sew the velcro onto the flaps to hold the bag shut. I looked at the white velcro that I had and realized it just wouldn't look right on the blue denim. No, not at all. Ok, back to the store to buy some black velcro as I didn't think they made navy. When I was looking the selection of velcro I did see a package of navy along with the others after all. I picked it up but then saw some black velcro that said "snag free". That sounded like a good idea, because after all I was going to use this bag as a back pack too and the velcro would be against my clothes. So, I bought the snag free velcro and left the navy behind.
I mentioned in my previous post that I would probably do a few things different if I made this bag again. All in all I thought the directions were written well. There are photos in the back of the pattern that I kept flipping back to during the construction. While I wish the photos were next to the actual steps that they related to, I still appreciated that the photos were there. The pattern calls for you to insert plastic canvas in the bottom to help give the bag it's shape. I chose not to put the canvas in. I really don't think I will miss it. I wanted a bag that was a bit more flexible. I also plan on leaving the handles the width of the fabric instead of cutting them down to the size listed in the pattern if I make this bag again. While I haven't actually used this bag as a back pack yet, I think this would make it a little more comfortable.
I like the way this bag turned out! I think this bag took a little longer to make verses the typical tote bag because of the extra pockets, but I think the pockets and bag are worth it!
