Not So Simple Simplicity 2274

EDIT 03/2013: I get quite a few requests for help on this bag. Firstly, I cannot contact you if you are a no-reply blogger and you don't leave an email address in your comment. Secondly, I highly suggest that you ask the designer of the pattern, StudioCherie, for support. She has literally made hundreds of these bags and can probably assist you much better than I could.

I'm reposting my entry from PatternReview, because it's very thorough and I don't feel like typing out even more words on this subject.

Pattern Description: 
Clutch, overnight bag and luggage tag sewing pattern. i made the overnight bag but i'm pretty sure i could fit enough clothes in it for at least a week. it's a big bag.


Pattern Sizing:
another review says it's 20x13x11. i'm too lazy to get out the tape measure.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
nope.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
pretty much but i made a ton of changes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
i really hated that the pattern doesn't include a lining. i also don't like how the seam is exposed on the inside of the side pocket zipper. the whole thing is rectangles with the exception of the tabs, so i used my rotary cutter and ruler instead of the pattern pieces. it'd be nice if the dimensions were written on the pattern pieces but they aren't. i don't love the tabs but there's nothing wrong with them per se. they're a little floppy, so maybe consider adding interfacing.



Fabric Used:
quilting cottons for the exterior, fusible fleece instead of batting, an old bedsheet instead of muslin, quilting cotton for the lining. i also used quilting cotton with fusible fleece for the strap instead of jute webbing. i started with the aqua Flea Market Fancy fabric for the lining and straps and chose coordinating fabrics for the exterior. i used a lot of different fabrics but amongst them were more FMF, Echo, Quilt Blocks, Sherbet Pips, It's a hoot, Brrr, DS quilts collections, Summersville, and more. I used both new and old prints pulling from my hoarded and mostly unused fat quarter stash, but i managed to work in some last super loved bits, like the pink red letter day geese.



Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
firstly i made a patchwork exterior. i cut fusible fleece and my bedsheet 2" larger around on the main bag and side panels and fused them together. then i did quilt as you go onto the pieces. the quilting lines are about 3/8" apart and the entire bag is densely quilted. on the main bag, i started in the middle and once my QAYG area got too large, i pieced together smaller sections and then quilted them onto the main bag. it might have been a better idea to add interfacing to the exterior as well for more stability but it also would've been another layer to deal with. i'm undecided as to whether it would be worth it. after i finished QAYG, i trimmed all pieces to the correct size.



i added a zipped pocket to both side panels. i really wish i had sandwiched the zipper so that the seams are hidden. i had to cut about an inch off the bottom of the zipper pocket after attaching it to the side panel. i may have read the instructions on placement incorrectly.

instead of jute webbing, i cut 3 8" pieces of kona snow. i made 2 62" pieces and then seamed the long sides to make a tube. i ironed 3.5" wide fusible fleece to each strap and then turned it inside out, enclosing the fleece on the inside. then i topstitched the FMF to the white straps. i forgot to finish the short ends, so i stitched my straps together with 1/2" seam. the join was a little bulky when sewing it to the exterior but nothing too heinous.



i also added a full lining. i cut main bag and side panels from flea market fancy, and added decor bond interfacing. i ended up cutting 4" off of the main bag (both lining and exterior) because i didn't need a facing. i attached the zip to the main bag in the same way you would for a lined zipper pouch (zip face down on main bag, lining on top RS together. stitch next to zip and 1/8" seam for extra strength, flip ends out and press, sandwich other side of zip in same way, stitch, forming a tube). for the side panels, i sewed all layers together at the top where the zipper is (so lining side panel, lining main bag, exterior main bag with tabs, exterior side panel) as one. then i stitched the other 3 seams with just exterior pieces together and then lining pieces together (so each are sewn separately). i left a turning gap on one side panel lining piece. (if you do this remember to leave the zipper open. it says to do this in the main instructions but it's really important when adding a lining too) then i turned the whole thing inside out and handstitched the lining closed. i gave serious thought to adding an interior zip pocket to the lining but i don't think i'd use it with the 2 zipped exterior pockets plus the slip pocket on the front. thank goodness. the last thing i needed was to add another step.

Would you sew it again? 
oh heavens no.

Would you recommend it to others? 
it was very time consuming though i did manage to finish the whole project in a weekend. i love my bag. it's really unique. but it was a big pain in the rear. just trying to maneuver all those giant pieces with the main bag being so heavy and twisting things about with the lining was an ordeal. i understand now why the original directions would omit a lining, but the finished bag is still way better with one. i should clarify that if you follow the instructions and don't try to make it as complicated as i did then you will have a much easier time and it'll go a lot faster.

Conclusion: 
probably worth it in the end. prepare yourself for a wrestling match.