Copycat Crafter

The problem with visiting hardcore crafting sites, I find, is that I very quickly adopt whatever these crafters make as the next “must make” item on my list. For example, if you browse the archives of soulemama or disdressed, you’ll notice that these folks like to make bags. Out of fabric (not leather or plastic). On their sewing machines (well, OK, and their sergers). They talk about strange materials called Timtex. They make it look easy.

So for the past three months or so, I’ve had this niggling desire to make a bag. I’d go through our collection of market shopping bags several times, looking at how the straps were made, considering the alternatives of no bottom (just two pieces of fabric sewn together) or deep bottom (with a width to the space inside the bag [does that make sense?]). If I had a moment to spare, I'd make an inventory of random fabric scraps I had in my messy craft closet, figuring out how many would work to make a sturdy sort of bag.

Then, I actually measured my favorite bag, to get a sense of how much fabric, how much interfacing, etc., I would need if I were to reproduce it. A coupon I received in the mail from the local fabric store, combined with some free time, completed the slippery slope I had been building up for myself to slip down. And slip down I did.

I made a bag:


I used some leftover fabric from my Christmas apron-making. I used some stiffer duck (it's a type of fabric, people -- jeez!) for the bottom. Also, because I don't have a serger, I lined the thing with some calico:


I told my conscience (aka Impera) that I was making this as an experiment, and that I already had a recipient in mind. Good thing I told my conscience, otherwise I would probably have been tempted to keep it for myself. This was very fun to make, and only took about two hours to put together. Plus, I think it would be quite handy for a Farmer's Market run:



(What, don't you all keep half-gallons of organic milk displayed in your dining rooms?)