The Old Bags - Part 1

Long before I bought my current Brother sewing machine in July 2007, I owned a very basic Sakura sewing machine which rattled and jammed. It had such a complicated threading system I needed to draw a 3-D diagram to guide me. It came with 1 all purpose foot and I had no idea that you could have more than 1 foot. Oh, I have come such a long way.

Then, all I ever sewed were doll clothing for my girl's Barbie dolls, blankets and the odd alterations. I had loved the idea of making bags for a long time but I never knew how to start. One day, while at the National Library I came upon Making Handbags - Retro, Chic, Luxurious by Ellen Goldstein-Lynch. I was hooked. I made 1 bag using the tutorial from this book and when I look at the bag now I realise that back then, I would follow the style as much as possible (right down to the flowers and all)

Here's my first bag. I cringe a little every time I look at it.


The inside of the bag looks better than the outside


This next bag was made using a bought pattern. I wanted to see if a bought pattern was easier to follow and it wasn't. I didn't know what the notches were for and ignored them all. (It's to match the pieces for precision) Look at the flowers. Ugh! Those days are long over now.

I cringe a little here as well. In the background are my fab fabric which I had hung to dry.