Simplicity 2205 -- Clutch

After the success of the pleated bag of Simplicity 2205, my daughter decided to make the clutch purse from the same pattern as a gift for a friend.  The instructions were well laid out, and the purse turned out exactly like the LINE DRAWING on the pattern instruction sheet, but.......the photographs of the clutch on the front of the pattern (see above) are actually UPSIDE DOWN.  If you want to see what the clutch really looks like, turn your head and look at the clutch from the opposite direction.

I don't really blame the photographer -- it looks like that is the way the clutch should go.  To my daughter and to me, the clutch just didn't look right the other way, and we just couldn't get past it.  It was hard to waste all that work and expense, so my daughter decided to cut off the top third of the bag and fix it like so:

The disadvantage to this is that the top is open and it's a little easier to lose things out of it.

Although the clutch still turned out cute, she will not remake the clutch part of the pattern because of these issues.  If you decide to make it, look carefully at the line drawing on the instruction sheet and make sure you are okay with it fastening from the bottom.

*I am posting a review of this on Pattern Review.  If you are unfamiliar with Pattern Review, it's a helpful resource for sewists.  You can research patterns, sewing machines, etc., read about other people's experiences and learn a lot of helpful tips along the way.

Purse Parade

After showing my daughter's most recent purse(Simplicity 2205, above),  I thought I would show you some of her other purse-making endeavors.  (A side note here:  the words "purse", "bag" or "pocketbook" shall be interchangeable here -- I never know which word to use.)

Here is one of her very earliest efforts -- a little hand-stitched felt bag (so sweet):

This is the first purse she made using a sewing machine:

It's a basic tote with contrasting lining, and a pocket inside and outside, very similar to the little diaper bags blogged about here.

This next bag is the reversible bucket bag from The Bag-Making Bible (which is a very helpful resource, if you are into making bags).

I love this fabric and the little flower button.  This is a really cute bag but if we make it again, we won't worry about making it reversible so that we can put pockets inside.

This next purse is the Piping Hot Hobo Bag, also from The Bag-Making Bible.  I love the green piping!  We added a chain for the strap.  Unfortunately, we found out that using a chain for the strap may look good, but it is very uncomfortable.  This bag also had snaps on the side so that you can make the purse wider or narrower.  But the snaps had a bad habit of coming unattached, so I'm not sure we want that feature on any more bags.

This bag (also called a hobo bag -- what exactly makes a bag a "hobo" bag?) is from an on-line tutorial here.  The directions were not as clear as they might have been, and this bag would definitely have benefitted from fusible fleece in the body and the straps, but it still turned out cute. The size is good.

And here's a view of the lining.  My daughter added the little zippered pocket.

The messenger bag below was made from a tutorial on mmmcrafts.  (The wrinkles are just from it being stuffed in the closet).  The felt appliqué on the front was designed as well as stitched by my daughter.  The directions were good and the bag turned out just as it was supposed to, but it was a little small for my daughter's  books.  If you plan to make it  I advise you to measure it against what you want to carry.  You may have to increase the height and/or the width.

This is a bag totally made from scratch:  designed by me and sewn by my daughter.  I drew out the pattern (per my daughter's requests) and wrote up the directions.  It is also a messenger bag style, although it is more of a purse size.

There is a pocket on the inside and also one on the back:

The bag closes with an inset zipper (which took me awhile to figure out):

The last bag is the only one I have made, and I made it for myself ;)  It is  McCall 5599 View B, a pattern which is now out of print, although I think you could still find it.  I love the size of this bag -- lots of things can fit in there -- and at the same time it is very comfortable to carry.  If I make it again, I may add fusible fleece or some other heavier interfacing to give it a little more body.

With bag-making there is always something new to learn or a new technique to try, but at least there are no fitting issues like there can be with clothes, so your self-image doesn't have to take a beating ;) You can be bolder in your fabric choices and embellishments.  There are many, many resources on the internet -- some free, some for purchase -- and loads of visual inspiration.  Making bags is fun and it is so useful!

Purse -- Simplicity 2205

If you look closely on the right in the picture above, you will see a vertical metal bar.  That is a crutch belonging to my daughter, whose right leg is in a purple cast for a few weeks.  She broke her ankle at the end of May playing soccer.

That translates into boredom for her and also a problem of how to transport all her stuff around while on crutches.  So she decided to make a new purse.   We have been stocking up during the recent pattern sales at Joann's, and Simplicity 2205 was one of our finds.

She chose some fabric (quilting weight cotton, also from Joann's) and whipped up this cute purse -- the one with the adjustable strap in the bottom right of the pattern cover -- this week.  She had to sew it on my Singer 401 because it has a knee lever.  Her little Kenmore only has a foot pedal and that was not doable with the big cast.

The only change she made to the pattern was to extend the strap by ten inches because she wanted it long enough to go across her body.

The pattern was very clear except it doesn't tell you specifically what kind of interfacing to use.  She used Shape-Flex for the pockets and the lining, fusible fleece for the outside, and a fusible mid weight for the straps and flap.  If she makes this purse again, she will use a stiff interfacing for the flap to help keep its shape.  (BTW, Sara at Sewsweetness has a very helpful post here about bag interfacing.)

Here's a peek inside at her red polka dot lining:

The purse itself is a great size -- not too big, not too little.  We couldn't find any dimensions listed on the pattern, but it is roughly 12 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep at the bottom, and it is 11 inches tall.  There are two flat pockets inside.  The pleats add a nice detail, as does the band and flap at the top.  In fact, it would be really cute made up with a contrasting band, flap and straps.  The only extra hardware she needed was a magnetic clasp and a rectangular slider for the strap, which we also purchased at Joann's.

Simplicity 2205 also comes with a cute clutch pattern.  It just seems inconvenient to have to hold on to your purse with your hand all the time versus just slinging it over your shoulder, so I'm not sure if we'll ever make it.  However, I can see us making future versions of this pleated bag.  We really like how it looks and how it functions.

Thank goodness my daughter gets her cast off soon.  She's moved from wanting to sew something to wanting to build some furniture for her room :O