A little patchwork bag...

This is a little bag which I made for me.... a bag to grab and run with as I dash out to pick up the children from school. It isn't huge, so hopefully it won't collect all the detritus that my bags tend to collect.

It's been sitting on my sewing table for an age. For no particular reason apart from issues with the handles. I wanted to do something a little different with the handles so I added the 'o' rings and then I went on to make some plaited handles.....

I did sooooo want a pair of plaited handles but it wasn't to be...... they just didn't look right.

As you can see, the bag is made up (on the outside) with fabrics from the Daisy Chain collection. Four of them repeated in strips along the bag... (and gently quilted) with a fifth fabric ... in the band at the top. I selected three of the fabrics to plait into a handle. I worked out the widths I'd need to end up with an inch wide handle and added a tab to the handle ends so that I could attached then neatly to the 'o' rings.

So far, so good...... but when I came to complete the handle it was obvious that it wasn't right for this bag.... it looked too flimsy and light for one thing. The colours although very pretty, when united with the bag made the whole thing much too bright, a bit of an argumentative, blue/green colour riot. There was definitely far too much going on... so I abandoned the 'fancy' handles for ordinary style strap ones which simply looped through the rings, and in the same colour (Daisy Bouquet in Indigo) as the top band.

Inside the bag, I used a band of fabric in yet another Daisy Chain fabric - Daisy bouquet in Mist.... gorgeous soft aqua type blue colour with the rest of the lining in something called 'Blue Raspberry' (Is there such a fruit as a blue raspberry?), which matches the background colour of the daisy bouquet really well.

I added a slip pocket, which I always find useful and a magnetic snap, to ensure that the bag contents stay securely tucked inside. This is a slimline magnetic snap, which I added in the usual way. It may be slim and neat looking but it's strong ..... it really does have a wish to be with it's opposite number.(Link)

This is where it gets complicated again!

As it's for me, I added a little flower brooch, made out of a fabric flower combined with a yo-yo and a small self-cover button as a centre - I thought it might set the whole thing off a little.

...a little flower brooch...

...the bag and the brooch together...

But is it too much? I'm not convinced it's the right kind of flower for the bag or even if it not just a little too loud in the colour department but I'm living with it! What do you think? Do you think it's too much?

So, plaited handles..... I'm thinking that I'm going to need a bag for some summer parties that are coming up. Something, a little more dressy. Perhaps, that'll provide another opportunity to use plaited handles. The ones I made for this one, were quite narrow and didn't have any interlining added to the strips so maybe if I made then wider and used perhaps some fairly low-loft fleece it may make something with more of an impact..... have you every tried plaited handles? Any advice to share?

Comments

[Dolores Sedore]

Ok, well, you asked. I like the bag the way it was without the flower and without the plaited handles. If it were me, I would put the flower on a lapel or on another bag with red or pink or white in it. I guess I just love my blues too much.

[juliaB]

What if you cover some thick piping cord with fabric and then plait it?? That will look nice. There is a covering cord tutorial on Marmadaisy here. Really easy peasy. The bag and flower are great. I like the bright contrast of the red against the blue. xx

[juliaB]

oops ... forgot the link: http://iliketomakestuff.blogspot.com/2008/06/piped-bag-handle-tutorial.html

[maria]

I love the bag, i'ts a great shape and style with fab fabrics too. I like the flower but think that if it were mine I wouldn't want it on there all the time, just when the mood takes me.

[dottycookie]

I think the flower looks lovely with the bag, and I like the handles as they are. I need to make a new 'dashing-out-of-the-door' bag too.

[Vic]

I'm with Maria, I love changing my bag brooches to match my mood- I'd love the flower on the bag for 'zingy' bold days, but then sometimes not... incidentally I've started adding hair clip AND brooch backs to my flowers, sometimes I want them in my hair, sometimes on my clothes..
At the moment I am busy making baby quilts for friends (it must be that time of year), but then I may just have to make myself a cheerful summer bag... or just some more flowers.

[Kat]

I love the bag the flower but then I love anything bright cheerful!

[cherrie]

I love the flower with the bag. Sometimes we don't think something matches our 'personality' but we can change that simply by how we present ourselves. You might even start a new rage at your kid's school!

[Topcat]

Love the colours on that bag - and the strips, strips have featured enormously in my designs recently. I would love to have a few flowers and match them with my shoes (if I had enough time as I was dashing out of the door - rarely). I have a secret love of red shoes.
I would think about maybe picking out some of the other colours in the bag - like navy, or that taupe or the soft green to make a flower with even if I didn't have shoes to match. Or on a bold day - bright fresh green or tangerine.
I would consider an experiement with a flower of a different texture (other than quilting cotton I mean) like this organza number I've had my eye on for a while http://www.reesedixon.com/2009/03/organza-flowers.html
or a beaded one or a crocheted one...and by then I would be too exhausted by all of the thinking to actually make anything so I'd relax and just enjoy the red one with my red shoes on!

[Christine]

Lovely bag and lovely interior. I like the flower and you can take it off as the mood takes you.

[Andrea]

The flower is just right!!!

You could simply try slackening off the actually plaiting itself. Maybe even make the strips wider to plait looser. I have seen plaited handles but they were stuffed tubes of fabric which gave it some thickness (this is starting to sound rather dodgey- sorry) so the plaits were fuller and kinder to the shoulder.

It has been a long day, so I shall stop.
xx

[Craft Matters]

I love this bag and brooch combination - gorgeous. Hope you are enjoying using it.