My entry for purse week - inspired by fall (and by the fabrics I had on hand). Thank you so much for voting for my bag. I'm happy with second place, and even happier to hear that the first place Anthropologie Inspired Bag by The Boy Trifecta will be offered soon as a tutorial! I just love the design of it! Thank you Christie for hosting this fun contest!
This bag came together in two days. Day one was spent mainly on the applique. I drew a sketch of the design on paper first, then transferred it with a fabric pen to the tree fabric which had wonder under applied to the back. I cut out around the tree and ironed it onto my main bag panel.
Now for the fun part... free motion sewing! I love the - well - freeness of it! Starting at the base and moving up to the branches, I used up and down movements to create the texture on the tree. I also used variegated thread, which added even more visual effect.
The leaves helped me use up some of the tiny fabric scraps left over from some improv quilting. Since I was only going to sew a line down the middle of each leaf, I used heavy duty heat 'n bond to attach them.
Sewing the actual bag was quick and easy. I used a basic pattern with a gusset from Brilliant Bags. The only problem was that the opening was just too huge. Even with the almost tweed fabric I used, it was just too floppy. It needed help!
Day two was spent figuring out how to fix the shape. I tried several different variations, and finally came up with pleating the sides. It took out the baggy-ness and gave it a really cute shape. I should have taken a before/after picture because it was like night and day.
The strap was sewn over the pleats but had no pizazz. I dug around in my button stash and found some large wooden buttons. They were just what it needed!
I really like the way it turned out. Very fall-ish, which was what I was going for. Thanks again for voting! I'll have this as a tutorial for you on Monday so that you can add this applique to a bag of your own!
