not what I expected from Craft Apple

Since I have another little person's stuff to carry around when I go out, I've spent quite a bit of time looking online for bag/tote patterns. One that I loved when I saw the cover image was the Chemisette Handbag Pattern from Craft Apple.

Since I am somewhat sleep deprived, I just looked at the photo and thought "that looks perfect!" without actually reading the specs. Because from the photo, it looks like a large bag that would hold my wallet, a couple of diapers, wipes, sunglasses and have a little extra room for things a Mama would carry. And with that, I ordered it.

I picked out the fabric I wanted and started to put it together. I thought it looked a little small as I was cutting out the pattern. About halfway through, I actually read the back of the pattern... Approximate dimensions of finished bag: 10" wide x 15" tall (including straps) x 2" deep.

Really?!? The bag looks much bigger from the photo. *sigh* I was terribly disappointed. I emailed the pattern maker.

"What size is the bag on the cover of the Chemisette Handbag Pattern? That is what I was expecting when I bought the pattern. There is no way that is the 10" bag made from the pattern... unless a child is holding it.

Had I realized it was this small, I would not have bought the pattern."

Linda from Craft Apple replied, "The bag is 10" wide. It is not a large bag, but the bag on the cover IS the bag that the pattern is written for. The model on the cover is me. I'm not a tall person, but am not miniature either. :) I wrote the pattern for a bag that would hold a wallet and essentials without being a big, heavy, carry-it-all-with-you bag. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any more questions."

Sadly, no that doesn't help. I feel like I wasted $12. :-\

The only bright spot is that my daughter likes her new purse. For the record, that's my daughter in the last photo. She is nine years old. Notice how similar the size of the bag looks against her and the one on the cover of the pattern.

Since it went together quite easily, sometime in the future I might make another one... just 130-150% larger.

I have a slight handbag obsession

I love handbags. There, I said it. Whenever I come across a new bag pattern or tutorial that I like, the wheels start turning. The most recent was the Ava Rose Tote from artsy-crafty babe, Rebeka Lambert.

Conveniently, my daughter needed a bag to carry her crochet supplies. I told her I would make her a bag... because she needed one and I wanted to try out the pattern before making one for myself. Win, win!

I took her to Jo-Ann Fabric to pick out her own fabric. After looking at everything, she picked fabric with pink cat silhouettes. I didn't notice until we got to the cutting counter that it was paneled fabric. *sigh* I'll make it work.

It took a while to get everything figured out since I had to work around the design (and I had to splice some of the longer pieces), but I got it all together. As soon as I finished I thought I didn't like it as much for me, but by the next morning I had thought of a few ways to tweak it a bit. And by 'tweak it a bit', I mean drafting my own pattern and winging it.

It had taken me a while to find just the right fabric, but I did find it at Hobby Lobby. And as I was deciding to add outside pockets, I noticed some striped fabric I had on hand would work with the new fabric I had bought specifically for this bag. Sweet!

It took most of the day to put together because I slowly thought it through (meaning I didn't have to rip it apart and redo anything). I think it came together nicely.

In case you are wondering about the tweaks... this bag is one inch shorter, the straps are 1/2 inch wider, the top of the bag is more square and I added outside pockets.

The button I've had for years, but it was black. Good thing I had a can of white spray paint just sitting around. ;-)