It's all in the modern bag!

jill .....  Well, I could write a purse pattern but this weekend was not the time!  As I've said before, there is something rewarding  about sewing an already tested pattern.  I chose The Bella Bag by Heather Mulder Peterson from Anka's Treasures.   I have previously sewn one of her patterns and found it concise, easy to follow and successful.  I chose this purse pattern because it has options - great style (the most important) and three sizes as well as different handles.  I was not certain how my already constructed relish (from last week's blog) would fit.

I chose the medium sized purse pattern due to the dimensions closely matching my relish design, not too big but just right.

I added fabric on all sides to bring it "up to size".   I knew that the textured background would serve me well with lots of disguised seam lines.

Finding the center was helpful in aligning the design.  I then cut the front out from the relish and the back out of just the plain fabric.

The front was fused to fleece and quilted in the ditch around the shapes.

Following the directions (I actually read them), I cut my lining from the small geometric print and the pockets from the large scale floral.

Pockets sewn to lining and  pleats to form the bottom.

Inside view

The purse came together just as the pattern described.  The hardest part was cutting the holes for the grommets.  Once you make the cut, there is no return.  Alas, all's well that ends well.  The added fabric glue helped stabilize the grommets and they fit together nicely.  And I didn't even have to spend time unsewing.

I selected the convertible handle , threaded it through the grommets and tied her up!  She's just the right size.  It's fun to see a project come together quickly, at least once in awhile!

Marcia W. is the winner of the free pattern.  Marcia let us know which pattern you would like.  We'll post another question just a little later.....'till next Tuesday for sure but maybe even sooner, jill