Flea Market Bag

Oh, hello!

I haven't been here in a long time. But now it's February: almost spring and time to make great bags for all the wonderful markets -- flea, farmer's, antique -- that will soon be here.

This great bag is from Carry Me: 20 Boutique Bags to Sew. It measures a very generous 18" x 17" x 5.5" and has wonderfully deep side slits that allow the bag to open wide.

I decided to sew it up exactly per instructions, using an Amy Butler print for the outside and a thrifted piece of soft-handed woven green/blue fabric inside. I also put in the zippered pocket, using a technique I had not tried before: after attaching one side of the zipper tape to the pocket, the other side of the zipper tape is attached directly to the lining and then the pocket is topstitched down. I'm not convinced that this is the strongest pocket, but I wanted to try the technique. And I do like a zippered pocket in such a deep bag.

The outer fabric has ironed-on interfacing, which gives it just the right amount of body. I did add a second piece of regular interfacing to the top band to give it a bit more body and prevent droopy-droopy. But that's the only change I made.

All in all, a great pattern, easy to follow, and good results, I think. Am thinking of more more more to make -- especially with vintage tablecloths?

Thanks for reading my blog. And I promise not to disappear again.