Cath Kidston Kit Bag

Thanks to everyone who shared their sewing weaknesses/nemeses in response to my previous post...it was really interesting to see what everyone found challenging! And just to clarify, i did mean top stitching when i said i am incapable of sewing in a straight line...i realise a wonky seam is not so much of a disaster!! Hopefully practice will make perfect, so i will persevere...

Anyways. You may remember this book, which i was lucky enough to receive for my birthday last month, from my lovely friend Ella :)

I am a massive fan of Cath Kidston. Some of the stuff is a bit too twee for my personal taste, but overall i love the bright prints and vintage throwback style of the products. As well as a whole load of fantastic patterns, the book i was given contained everything needed to make the bag on the front cover, which i have finally got round to making. I think it turned out pretty well...

Another crafty friend of mine (Sirisha this is you!!) had been given the same book, so we have been sewing the bag at the same time and swapping tips. She started before me, and as a result i have been cheating a bit - i heard what she found were the most fiddly bits and adapted the method accordingly! For example, for the button loop the instructions say to sew a small seam around the loop fabric right sides together, and then pull it the right way out. However, this sounded too much like hard work so i used the method i have used for other belt loops and pressed the fabric bias-tape style before top-stitching to secure. Also, i liked the idea of lining the bag so i used some of my favouritie polka dot fabric (i think i now have this in about 4 different colours) in bright red to line. I cut out the lining using the bag fabric pieces as a guide, sewed it up and popped it inside. I also added a small pocket as i do love a good pocket! I love the contrast between the lining and outer fabric.

Overall i think this bag took between 3-4 hours to make, including time where i was faffing around or trying to decipher instructions (which overall were actually really easy to follow). This also includes a lot of time for practicing button holes...as a rule i try and avoid these if possible as i find them fiddly, however after a bit of practice to remind myself what to do i got the hang of it and i am really pleased with how they turned out! (You can just about see them in the picture below!).



As i said, i'm really pleased with how this bag turned out. I'm not sure how much day-to-day use i will get out of it, as i tend to prefer cross-body straps rather than shorter ones like this, but i really like the pattern and think with a slightly modified strap length this could be a winner :) I predict that i will be showing many more makes from patterns in this book in the near future.

In other news, i am excited to report that Tasia who blogs at Sewaholic has announced a Sew-Along for the Londsdale dress! Most excitingly, this is due to start at the end of July, and will be complete before i head off on my American travels - perfect timing for me to (hopefully) complete the dress as part of my Holiday Wardrobe Challenge. My dress pattern has been shipped so i am now just awaiting it's arrival!! Watch this space...!

Knitted Square Count: 14 and a half

K xx