Amy Butler Cameo Sew-A-Long Part II

You can read Part I here, where I introduced my project.

This time I'm going to share some of the issues I had while making the messenger bag.

First of all, I made this up as I went. I had a general idea as to what the finished bag should look like, but that was it. On one hand, it was a very liberating experience, on the other, it resulted in several mistakes that I couldn't fix.

<--- Like that one over there. I had the interior completely finished when I realized that it was way too big. So I had to take it apart. And because I was a bit frustrated, I may have taken it out on the lining... and ripped the fabric. But it wasn't until I put the bag together that I realized how bad it was.

My seam ripping fiasco also created an issue after putting the bag together. You can see that in the second photo. That too would have required taking apart the entire bag again. It also would have made the finished bag smaller. I chose to leave it and learn from it.

Take home message for this round: 'Patience, Young Padawan!'

There are a couple other photos on my Flickr page showing more issues and the process, in general.

Next Time: Finishing touches and the finished bag

Amy Butler Cameo Sew-A-Long

This is the first installment for the Amy Butler Cameo Sew-A-Long. I first heard about it on Twitter (of course) and was already in the middle of a project using Cameo so it was perfect timing.

I’ve had ideas for a messenger bag for quite some time but I kept putting it off. I guess I knew it would take a bit more math than usual – and you all know how I feel about that!

I typically buy small cuts of fabric because it’s much easier to cut in a small space. However, my favorite things to make are bags – any style – and yardage is the much better choice. I found a good deal on Cameo at Fabricworm and bought a few ½ yards in various styles.

Besides creating a functional/practical and attractive messenger bag, my other goal was to use new techniques.

I added piping around the flap and to the sides of the outer fabric. It can be a bit tricky but I love it! Definitely going to add piping to the living room pillows I've been making for 2 years (shh!).





The other 'new' technique I attempted was elastic pockets. After using elastic for the pj shorts I made, I knew I wanted to try it on a bag pocket.

Here is a terrible photo of the outer pocket (under the flap). I had NO IDEA what I was doing so I improvised and ended up adding two triangular pieces, one to each side, because I didn't account for the extra inches needed due to the elastic bunching up the fabric (duh).

Oh well, live and learn - that's the point, right?

Next:
The hazards of seam ripping and getting it together...