The Plan
Ah, the Amy Butler Weekender… I first saw a picture of the bag on Pinterest, and though that it would be a great project to attempt.
And then I started noticing that all the tutorials that Pinterest pointed to talked about how difficult the bag was to put together. So, though I had bought the pattern (on Amazon, though you can purchase it on Amy Butler’s website), I instantly lost all confidence, and put the pattern away, seriously thinking that I had spent the money on something I’d never use.
I spent a couple months doing other, smaller projects, and then I realized I had a girls weekend coming up, and wouldn’t that bag be the one to use? And thus began the project:
The bag worked really well, wasn’t as difficult as I’d imagined, and I’ve used it multiple times since then, including just this past Christmas, where my SIL, who we’ll call J, and my mother, who we’ll call T, commented that they would love a bag like that. And so, thus began the renewed effort of creating two more versions, hopefully rectifying any issues I’d had before, and maybe tweaking a couple other things.
First things first: Materials and tools.
Follow the material suggestions in the pattern, UNLESS you want to make the modifications that I’ll go into below. In addition, I would highly suggest that you get more of the SF101 interfacing than in the pattern. She says 3 yards, and I have yet to get all the pieces cut out with less than 4. That being said, it’s always possible that I’m not laying out the pieces in the most efficient way… Still, it’s better to have more than not enough, right?
Pattern Modifications:
- Snaps for outside pockets – it bothered me that there was no secure way to close the outside pockets, so I’ve added magnetic snaps to both sides
- Lengthened and widened straps – I like to put the bag over my shoulder, so instead of 3×48 inch straps, I increased them to 4×56 inches. T’s will end up being a bit longer, maybe 4×60 inches. You’ll need a bit more fabric for this, potentially.
- Inside pockets – Just because. It didn’t seem right to have a bag this big without inside pockets to help with organization. These didn’t go well the first time around, but I have ideas for J’s bag to improve them. You’ll need more fabric here as well.
- Feet – The material for J and T’s bags are lighter in pattern, so I’m a little concerned about wear and tear on the bottom. I haven’t done this before, so it’ll be a new experience.
Cutting the Fabric
Usually my least favorite part of the project. And for this bag, for some reason, it takes me about 2 afternoons to do it. But, once you’re done with it, hooray!
These are two of the large panels. The one with paisley on the right will be the outside, while the left panel is the fabric for the lining. Very light cream background, with various grays, and lime green. Super pretty!
Time to sew!
Next is creating the piping. This uses the lining material, and the 5 yards of 6/32 cotton cording.
This always seems like it’s going to take forever, but ends up going really fast. The fact that you have to create your own piping instead of just purchasing pre-made should not discourage you from making this bag!
On to making the pockets. This involves attaching the peltex and interfacing, and the piping to the exterior fabric, then attaching the lining to it. Once I’ve put together the exterior, and have attached the lining to the piping, that’s when I put the snaps in. That way, I can open up the lining, cut the holes for the prongs, and secure them down, without damaging the exterior in any way. One thing I would caution is to make sure you’re measuring both from each side to center the snap, but also from the top of the pocket so that they’re in the same location for both pockets.
When you’re done doing all of this, your pockets should look similar to this:
The pockets are now put together, and have been basted around the sides and bottom to keep everything stable.
Next, I’ll be creating the handles and attaching them to the main large panels. However, I thought I had enough Peltex in my stash, and I was wrong. So, before I do the next steps, I’ll need to hit my local sewing/craft store.
Stay tuned!