Back at the beginning of December I wrote about the new bag pattern I had acquired.  While I started making the bag in December I didn’t end up finishing it until the middle of January. The level of difficulty of this pattern was a little higher than what I was used to and I’m afraid it’s reflected in the finished product.  While I love the bag and plan on using it for many years there’s a few things that I would have done differently had I known what I was getting myself in for.

I had never used Cotton Twill Tape before, so had I known that it would be visible I would have gone for a matching colour instead of plain white.  (It would have been nice to have this fact stated on the pattern, but maybe it was just my inexperience that didn’t realise what it would be used for.)  I ended up using gold colour rings instead of silver.  It’s not that big a deal, but I wish I had have been able to find silver at the time.  I also probably would have chosen a different cord for the bag.   This one seems to be a little too fragile for the type of work it’ll be required to do.

I was really happy with the material that I got for this project.  I nicknamed the bag “Birds and Bees”.  The material is from Patty Young’s Flora and Fauna collection.  It’s a great little collection with lots of mix and match options.  You can’t see it in the photo’s but I used a cheeky material to line the backs of the side pockets – it just seemed to go with my Birds and Bees theme.

As I do more and more sewing I’m coming to appreciate the different pattern styles.  Some patterns are really easy to understand and come with photo’s and definition and then others assume a certain level of knowledge that I sometimes don’t have.  I don’t know what people used to do in the days before the internet because I rely heavily on other people’s stories, experience and blogs to sometimes finish patterns.  It’s amazing what effort people will go to to help others.

Would I recommend this pattern?  Not unless you’re an advanced sewer.  It’s quite challenging, and while this is the second Melly & Me pattern I’ve used the patterns in this range don’t get any user friendlier with time.  The end products though are something to be loved.  Plus, it’s always great to support an Australian and someone who’s sharing their enormous talent with the world.  So if you’re looking for a challenge and a funky bag that’s like the Tardis on the inside then this is a good little weekend project.

My next project is going to be an Amy Butler tunic – just have to decide between the Mini Dress and the Lotus.  I have been sitting on the material for the past couple of weeks while I wait for the pattern, but it’s on it’s way so I know what I’ll be doing next weekend.  (Thanks to the lovely ladies at Patterns Only for ordering the patterns in for me and sending them pronto when they arrived, I really appreciate it!)  So that’s my plan for sewing in February, what’s yours?

P.S. The bag pattern is on sale at the moment over at Patterns Only.  Go on, treat yourself you know you want to!