I made a new handbag!

This was such a satisfying and quick project and I really like how it turned out. This was on my list of winter projects…it’s no longer winter, but then again, there’s nothing particularly wintry about this bag. I knew I wanted a neutral solid for this bag – something that would go with everything. But, I also love a bit of color, so I added a fun lining to keep it cheery.

The Pattern

I used the reversible bag pattern from Very Purple Person (which I’ve made before), but with a few changes, inspired in part by the Noodlehead Runaround bag (I also bought the Runaround pattern, so I may make one of those too!).

Here’s what I changed…

Added two pockets.

One on the inside and one outside. I think that a secure pocket to put small and important things in is a must for a purse. I constructed simple ‘patch’ style zippered pockets that were sewn onto the bag pieces. For the outside pocket, I covered the edges with twill tape for a nice clean finish and to match the black accents.

Used bias binding for the edges.

This is where I was inspired by the Runaround bag. Instead of sewing the lining and outer fabric right sides together and turning them, I just put the lining in the bag and bound the raw edges with store-bought bias tape. I like the black accents here too. Note that I had to remove the seam allowances (5/8″) from the top of the bag to keep the same silhouette.

Lengthened the straps by 2″.

This just makes the bag more comfortable for me to slip over my shoulder. I actually forgot to do this when I cut the pieces out, so had to sew little extensions at the top of the straps. I used canvas for both sides (outer + lining) so that I didn’t have any weird non-matching pattern in the lining. It almost looks like I did it on purpose:)

Added a magnetic snap.

This keeps the bag secure, and it was super easy to install. It also makes it no longer reversible, but I probably wouldn’t ever turn it the other way anyway.

The Fabric

All the fabric for this bag came from my stash (yay!). It’s a grey canvas for the outer bag and a quilting cotton for the lining. I interfaced the lining to give it a bit more structure. The end result is a really nice solid-feeling bag. I think it will serve me well!

But hey, that won’t stop me from making another bag in the near future! (Runaround bag, I’m lookin’ at you!)