Spring Fling bag

I was privileged once again to test the newest pattern by Dog Under My Desk... this time the Spring Fling bag. It's another winner, and has possibly become my new favorite bag (although since I've made so many fun ones it's really hard to say). The hardest part of making any bag often is deciding which fabrics to use for it! I went through many options for this bag, but then I found a piece that Jess had brought me back from Japan a few years ago, and it seemed to be the perfect choice. Here's my bag.

The fabric was reversible and had a totally different print on the other side, so I decided to use that side also, for the lining. The entire bag was made from 2/3 yard of 44" wide fabric, plus one little pocket lining piece that I just couldn't squeeze out of it. The fabric was like a soft, light-weight canvas, and it handled beautifully! Even turning the bag inside out and back a few times in the process of making it didn't produce any wrinkles. I wish I had a lot more!

Here's what the other side of the fabric looks like.

The pattern includes Erin's detailed instructions for a zippered pocket with no raw edges showing, and her method makes it easy to end up with a perfectly aligned zipper.

See the inside? Even the zipper tape is enclosed. Awesome! And easy!

(Forgive the color differences, as some of the pics were taken at night under artificial light.)

There's also a slip pocket on the inside.

The top zipper installation is pretty unique, too, and it works out so well. Sewing those ends was a bit challenging for me because of the heaviness of my fabrics, all of which I'd interfaced too, but my trusty old Kenmore made it through again! 

The centering of the little trees on those tabs was only coincidental, but it made me happy.

And then there were the pleats. Oh, the pretty little pleats!

These turned out to be my best ever, thanks partly to the cooperativeness of the lovely fabric, plus having had some practice making them before on my Roundabout Hobo bag and my Encore Clutches. But they're not hard to do, regardless.

Here's the obligatory size reference photo taken hastily (due to sprinkles falling on us) by my favorite photography assistant, Miss Courtney. It was her first time using my DSLR, and she did well.

So there you have it... another fun one! The pattern got rave reviews from all the testers, myself included, so if you have a hankering for a bag like this, purchase the pattern now while it's 20% off (through Monday, May 14th). You can also check out the pattern page for more details, photos and other options (such as the accent panel and a crossbody strap). Erin will soon have her blog post up with more tester photos, too.