I made a bag! I’ve only made one bag before and it gets so much use. So why not try another?
I was heading away for work for just one night and needed minimal luggage as I was flying and decided I didn’t have another bag I could use (I may have done, but I’ve decided it’s boring looking!) So with about three weeks to go before the trip, I went for a look-see on the various bag pattern sites that I know of and found the Faunia bag on the iThinkSew website, which seemed to fit the bill. It’s lined, has an internal pocket, option for a long strap as well as short grab handles and about the right size!
The Faunia bag is described as “a great bag that can be easily held every day in a casual form! By attaching both a handle and a shoulder strap the bag can be extra handy. The perfect size of the bag makes it the best companion for your outings with its not too big yet not too small fit!”
I tried to work out what the final size would be by laying down tape measures. There is a longer version which is a bit shorter and slightly narrower in depth, then there’s a shorter version but it’s taller and a bit deeper. I decided this shorter version was better, since I wanted something a bit taller and deeper, I also decided I liked the way the grab handles support the bag the whole way around.
Of course I needed to make some changes… I made it longer by 1.5” each end and to support this extra length I shifted the straps closer to the ends. So it’s almost the length of the long version, but as deep as the shorter version. I also decided one pocket inside wasn’t enough and decided to add just a small slip pocket on one end. I did consider adding one to the outside between the grab handles, but couldn’t work out exactly where the bottom of the pocket should be. Plus of course, I was using fabric from stash and decided to combine two fabrics together.
For the base, I used a plain dark bottle green curtain fabric which came from Mum’s stash, it’s very closely woven and quite stiff. The ends and the top sides are from some leftover fabric from Martha’s in Auckland which I made cushion covers with.
I thought I had some webbing and D rings, but no, so they had to come from online. I also bought the long strap which came complete with the lobster clasp and slider. This has leather ends too, so is probably stronger than anything else! I considered finding a double ended zip for the main zip, but I couldn’t find them in stock anywhere and decided the plain black zip I had in stash was perfect. I needed to shorten it, but that’s not a problem with a plastic zip.
The lining is a cotton floral fabric I bought from an op shop. There wasn’t masses there and it didn’t soften up as I expected when I washed it, so a bag lining is perfect. This has an inserted zip pocket, the zip coming from stash.
The deets
Fabrics: Black floral curtain/upholstery fabric from Martha’s, bottle green upholstery fabric from Mum’s stash, ie deep stash, cotton pink floral lining from an op shop locally (I think)
Notions: D-rings and long strap from Mollies Makes and Creates NZ, black webbing from Miss Maude, long black zip and dark red zip from stash. Finished off with a label from KATM and another leather label, which I can’t remember where it came from!
Pattern: iThinkSew Faunia bag, shorter version
Changes made: Lengthened the bag by 1.5” each end and shifted the straps by 1” closer to the ends. Added a small slip pocket on one end.
Another one/recommendations: Once I’d worked out my changes and joined the fabrics to make the right size, this was actually a pretty quick make. I did wonder if my machine would cope with the thickness with some of the seams and attaching the webbing, but with my walking foot, it was quite happy! The only thing which was a bit fiddly was attaching the ends, but they weren’t a problem. There were a couple of points when I thought, why is it constructed like that, but if I tried to change it, then I got in a mess and realised that actually the method was there for a reason!
I don’t know if I’ll make another, but it’s a really good pattern and I’ve already used this bag a number of times. Probably make another when this one wears out from so much use!
Nikki's Stitches 