My Type of Bag...

I bought the Sidekick Tote pattern from Anna-Noodlehead as soon as it was available last year, and it has sat, niggling me for ages, moving from one month's To Do List to the next; but in my 2013 stash-busting frame of mind, this was the week to do it!

Having ordered my metalware, from here, upon cutting up my Melody Miller and Echino last weekend, I decided I wanted to extend the strap, and so hatched a plan that required a further rectangle ring purchase, hence the waiting.

This was the first time I have made bias binding, and the first time I have actually sewn curves with it.  It wasn't so hard.  I was being a bit of a smarty-pants with lining up the spots, but it worked out fine.  My stitching down is not perfect, and the stitches from attaching the back peak out in a couple of places, but I can live with that.  I am rather chuffed with this detailing.

Instead of using velcro to fasten the pocket, I used a sew-in magnetic snap, and this was an easy substitution.  There was a little lady-handling required to stop the magnets from sticking firm to the needle plate of my sewing machine, but no drama.

The other amendment to the pattern was the addition of the second ring-end to the strap.  This gave me an extra 5", as I like to wear my bags across-body, especially when I am wearing my slidey-shouldered coat in winter.  I don't think it looks too odd; the extra ring, not the coat.

I pieced and topstitched the whole bag with Aurifil 40wt thread, firstly because it was the right colour, a deep turquoise, and secondly because I really couldn't be bothered to keep changing the thread between piecing and topstitching.  I also changed up the order that I pieced it; I used my walking foot for most of the construction, and did eveything I could before swapping out for my zipper foot.  Again, sheer laziness.

I did try to use my walking foot for the zip too, but failed after about 1", so my trusty zipper foot was reinstated.

I popped a bit of woven interfacing on the back of my lining where the patch pocket was stitched, just to give this area more strength.  And I think that is all I did that deviated from the printed word.

Mine is the smaller version of the tote, and is plenty big enough for my wallet, phone, keys, sunglasses (I know!!) and even a small umbrella.

I will definitely make another one, in the larger size next time; the pattern is brilliantly clear, and after all the cutting and fleece-fusing, it comes together really quickly.

My tote had it's fist trip out today to Chichester, there may have been Valentine's fabric shopping, I will show you that, and the gift I made for my true love tomorrow xxx