The bag design that started it...

This messenger bag design came from One Yard Wonders - it's designed for a kid, but up the dimensions a couple inches and make the handle a bit longer, and you've got yourself a very grown-up sized bag.  I still have the one I made for Dezi - it's the prototype and a testament to how far my sewing skills have come in a few short months.

The book calls for a bag with the same fabric for the insides and outsides and pockets, but changing it up is much more fun.  Those who know me know that I have a hard time sticking to convention.

I've produced a few messenger bags to date... have a look! 



That birds fabric is going everywhere at our place



Very masculine, with dark grey and black outside with birds lining on inside.

My old sewing machine, a Crappy Tire special, had a real hard time with the topstitching around the handle and the top of the bag.  And for some reason, it kept getting bound up on the velcro, so I had to sew the velcro by hand.

This was one of the last things I produced on that overpriced paperweight. 







Black stained glass fabric, with velvety corduroy and handy iPhone sized pocket.  This crazy fabric is from Ikea, and I'm happy to have used the last of it.  It's chaotic and loud, kinda like a colourful version of the Guernica. But without the death and destruction.

City Birds (Oiseaux urbains) bag with the velvety corduroy lining. I had a real hard time letting this one leave the house this morning.

 

Check out the detailing on the stitching, dear jeebus I love my new sewing machine. It looks like bird tracks; very apt considering the print.

I can't wait until these things start selling so that I can justify a road trip to Toronto for more fabric. 

Bleu alpin (Alpine blue) bag, again with velvety corduroy lining. 



Messenger bag, front side




Plushy olive corduroy lining

 

I decided that after about 20 hours on my new machine I was skilled enough to go with a bold hot pink accent topstitch.  I can't get enough of the bird feet stitch. 



The rams may be in love, or about to fight.  You can never tell with those animals, their eyes aren't very expressive.









Threading the needle

Let's get started from the beginning, shall we?

It's Summer 2010, I've got a big bin of fabric and a couple new books (including Small Stash Sewing by my favourite blogger Melissa Averinos of YummyGoods - eeeee!).  I find a pattern for a sweet kid's sized messenger bag, and make it for my little guy Dez, who is a very grown up 2 year old.  He's always asking to hold the grocery bag at the Farmer's Market... so I make him his own bag.

Fast forward to early Autumn... a local shop owner asks me about the bag, loves the bag, wants one for his wife. Said he's going to PAY me for it. (Say whaaaa?)
I make him a replica, special, custom.  He pays me. He says, "You should sell these in my store." And he was serious!

Thanks a bunch to Andre at Ciboulette et cie in lovely Midland, Ontario for giving me an opportunity to have my sewing skills pay some bills. At least my fabric bills, at this point.