What a difference a day makes!

I have been thinking for a while now that I could really do with a new handbag. I completely love my old one which I made pre-blog, but it is a bit tired, no longer comes up clean when I wash it, and doesn't fit my new handbag requirements. You see, we have just passed a major milestone and no longer have a Small in nappies. That means I don't need to tote a nappy bag around with me everywhere. I can leave a change of clothes in the car and just carry some wet wipes, drinks and snacks.



 

So the new handbag has to be bigger and have more sections and pockets  - one for Giant Baby's stuff and one for mine...

A couple of nights ago I got a second wind about 9.30 and thought I'd just have a wee look in the trunk where I keep the fabric stash and see if I couldn't find something I liked.  I drew a little sketch of the new bag, worked out how much material I would need and then had a rummage.

I found these: on the right an offcut of upholstery fabric in gorgeous bright colours which came from my sister-in-law's mum (an upholsterer who passes on the best of her offcuts to me and makes me a very happy girlie indeed). On the left some IKEA cotton for the lining. I like a bright lining, it gives you a lift every time you open your bag.

I ironed and I measured and I snipped, and before long I had cut out all of the outside fabric. It was a bit late by then, so reluctantly I paused.

The next day I ironed and I pinned and I sewed and I ironed and then....

 

my machine broke. It started tangling and trying to chew the fabric, and the Smalls got hungry and whingey, and I had to make the tea and then go out, and I felt very sad about my poor half-made bag, and my poor sewing machine, and the 5000 miles between me and my nice sewing machine man.

 

I posted my sad tale on face book and had some good advice from fellow sewing friends. I took a step back and a deep breath, waited for the Smalls to be safely asleep in their beds and got J to hold the light so I could actually see inside the sewing machine. I little bit of detective work later and we had it detangled and running like a dream. By now it was again later than it ought to have been so reluctantly I left the half sewn pieces and went to bed.

 

This morning, a new day dawned, and armed with my newly fixed machine I pinned and I sewed and I ironed and I thought and I sewed and I ironed and... Ta Da! My gorgeous new bag which I completely love and is exactly what I hoped it would be. 

 

It is bright and beautiful with a pocket on the front, and two sections on the inside, a big one and a small one.

There is an inside pocket and a magnetic snap fastener (not used one of these before - very cool!).

Now I want so fill it with goodies and go out on the town to show it off. I love it!

I think I am going to call it my Extremely Useful Smiley Bag.

xx