Bag Lady

Amy Butler fabrics are simply fabulous. A couple of years ago, I made a purse from one of her lines. It’s called the “Annabelle.” The ultra-low cost of material in the purse was made up for by the time spent sewing the decorative stitches! I estimate it took me two or three spools of thread and close to six hours in sewing those sections. The directions were very easy to follow, plus it was a great excuse to try out the decorative stitches on my sewing machine!

The result?

After I made that one, I decided to make a larger bag as a tote for my gradebook and school “stuff.” This is the “Miss Benson” bag. I did make my bag a little larger than the pattern called for so that my gradebook binder would fit inside with plenty of room for ungraded tests. Larger bag=longer sewing time.  Fusable fleece makes these bags sturdy and able to stand on their own. The patterns for the two can be purchased from Purse Strings Patterns.

 This final purse was made for me by my mother. I don’t have the pattern name handy, but I have seen several like it in books.