Tuesday 17 May 2011

on bags

A bag for my lovely friend Emily.

I seem to make her a bag every year (2007 2008 2009...) and as I had this upholstry weight floral Cath Kidson fabric I thought why should this year be any different. A girl can never have too many bags right. And the more I sew the more I learn and the more I think I can do better than the bag I made before. So, sorry Emily, you are the recipient of the evidnece of my learning curve ;)

The design for this bag just seemed to come together one day, as these things sometimes do. I saw a bag with a woven strap (on the street, on the internet, who knows where) and when I was thinking about a present for Emily that image popped into my head, and it seemed to suggest a curved bag, to follow the line of the strap. So I cut out some shapes, a front and a back and a flap and a gusset, and sewed them together with thinking about it all too much. Kind of like having an image of a finished thing in my head, then closing my eyes and moving towards it without worrying about going of the track. A kind of intuition? Of having had enough sewing go wrong to get a certain feel for the right direction? Certainly a feeling of freedom that could perhaps get quite addictive.

I just looked back through my archives, looking for a bag I'd made in the past to compare this one to and realised I've actually made quite a few... Perhaps all this bag making practice is starting to sink in...

4 comments:

Carole M. said...

...a sweet little bag and lined, the addition of the inner-pocket is a great asset also.

Allyson Gee said...

Do your crafty talents never end! Its lovely :) I really want to learn to sew.. One of these days I will. x

Sarah said...

My talents run out right about when it's time to sweep the house, or wash the dishes, or do the work I'm supposed to be doing...

Just jump in there with the sewing, it's fun! And you don;t need a fancy machine either, I use my Grandma's Singer from the 50s and its great :)

emilyclare said...

It is a very lovely bag to behold!