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Made by me

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Not my doing. This bag is done by my daughter.

After seeing the Burdastyle Diana bag that I made, my 10-year old wanted one too. Apparently low slung messenger bags are all the rage among kids her age. Since she has gotten more confident with her sewing skills lately (thanks to home ec) she wanted to make the bag herself.

I have to say it went very well. She has gotten really proficient with the sewing machine and is pretty meticulous for a 10-year old I think. I only helped her with the topstiching and the lining attachment – the rest she did herself. I can really recommend this pattern for a kid who wants to sew something that’s is slightly challenging, but not overtly so. Also since the bag can be customized easily, it’s a fun project too. My daughter choose on some iron-on appliqués – the letters are her initials. When I did the bag I used a side piece to give the bag more shape, but since that’s a bit more tricky, my daughter’s bag is done with darts like the original pattern.

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A velvet dress update: The sewing is going less than smooth – no surprises there! I feel like I have been taken back at least 10 years in terms of how much I struggle. Apart from the velvet being such a pain in the ass to sew, the rayon lining has decided to repetitively tear itself apart – I don’t understand what’s up with that. So I have had to mend it with some ugly stitching. Maybe I will finish the dress, maybe I will not. Right now I want to throw up every time I think about it. The actual design is really nice though, so I will probably do it again in a more forgiving fabric.

4 Comments

  • luckylibbet
    April 13, 2009 at 4:01 pm

    Your daughter did a great job on her bag! Her friends will be jealous.

    And I hear your pain on sewing velvet. It’s such a lovely fabric, but it has to be one of the most difficult to sew. Maybe let it sit for a while? Tackle it in small (half hour) pieces and just take a really long time to finish?

    Reply
  • Johanna
    April 13, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    >>Luckylibbet: Thank you for the sympathies! I think I will follow your advice and tackle it bit by bit instead.

    Reply
  • Antoinette
    April 13, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    What a wonderful job she did on the bag! She is walking in her mama’s footsteps for sure.

    I think I might have to download that pattern, or modify the messenger bag pattern I drafted on my own. I like the darts and more rounded corners on that Diana bag.

    Reply
  • gwensews
    April 13, 2009 at 11:04 pm

    Nice bag. Hooray for the daughter!

    You chose two difficult fabrics to work with. It takes a lot of patience to work with velvet. I hand baste all seams before taking it to the machine, regardless of the walking foot.

    Think S-L-O-W .

    Reply

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