Year of the handbag–April (catch-up)–the knitted bag
Yeah, I know I ran a little behind. I had it all planned that I could put this bag together pretty quickly in between trips in April, but then I kept getting sick. May was a wash out because of the depression. But here I am in June, starting to feel quite perky (God bless anti-depressants) and so I'm managed to find the time, and the inclination, to get back to my yearly aim of making a handbag a month.
I'll take June and July to catch up – two handbags each month. And here's the first for June.
I am sooooo thrilled with how this one worked out – it looks great. The knitting at the front is a little creased because the measurements ended up not quite right when I connected it to the inside, but still it's great.
So, it all started with the knitting. I devised the pattern myself, based on a lace pattern that I've got in a how-to book (my knitting ain't all that). The wool is one my M-I-L gave me for Christmas one year (my request – I wanted some different wools because I was planning on getting into knitting). The numbering in the pattern ended a little off and one of the laces is further from the edge than the other, but all in all not too bad, right? I knitted it in March and it's one long bit that folds on itself. I sewed the sides together while inside-out, then turned right way.
I ironed it flat, then traced it around an iron-on quilting insert which is about half a centimetre thick and reasonably stiff. I cut that out, then used it to trace and cut out two pieces of purple satin. I sewed the satin to make a pocket, slid the insert in and then sewed the end shut. Then I ironed the insert in, and ironed two bends in it to fit the bends in the knitting. I sewed the two sides together, then slid it into the knitting.
I connected the inside to the knitting by sewing it to the two ends of the knitting – one triangular to be the flap the folds over.
Then it was time to put on the accessories. The gold rings were sewn onto two satin tabs which were then sewn onto the inside of the bag. The gold chain was then wound onto the rings. Then I put the press studs on and it was done.
It looks great. It's a little longer than it should be for the height, but otherwise I think it's come out really well.
I'm not a hundred percent sure what I'm going to do next. I've got lots of material to choose from, but I'm unsure of the style to go with. While I decide, I'm going to work on stitching a great bit sheet of patchwork, so when I've got a style I want to use it for I'm ready.
One thing I have't done yet is a bag with a gusset – I should probably challenge myself with that next. And I've been thinking about weaving too…
