Saturday, March 7, 2009

Bag Cloning

Spring is here, Spring is here, tra la la, Spring is here!

I've been holed up in bed for the past two days with a cold. Now the sheets are in the wash, the windows are open, and I feel like I'm coming out of hibernation.

Before the cold hit, our mailma'am brought me a lumpy, bumpy package with this inside:

An online friend asked if I could recreate this bag for her. She got it at Old Navy and has used it so much, it's starting to wear out. I figured I could handle it, but I wanted to do a practice run first, with some scrap fabrics.



The bottom was the tricky part--getting it to fit in with the pleats at the corners. By some stroke of luck I got it to work on the first try.! I was pretty surprised when all my pencil marks matched up. I thought I'd be fiddling with it for hours.

Of course, it couldn't be that easy. When it came time to do the same with the lining, it didn't match up at all. I'm still not sure what happened there. I recut the whole lining out of a different fabric and set to it methodically, and it worked.










The rest of the bag was pretty straightforward. I used things I've learned from making other bags, and from making aprons of all things, to finish it off. (Okay, I haven't exactly finished it, but I know what to do.)







When it's done, I'll share the finished product, made with the fabrics she chose. In the meantime, here is the original and my copy. Pretty close?


P.S. I'm not a fan of the pink, floral, cottagey fabric. If you'd like a chance to win that bag and take it off my hands, just leave a comment on this post. I'll pick a random winner on Tuesday morning!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you've got it - good job :)

bunting said...

Nice work DP. You're such a clever lady! And a nice friend too. Glad to hear you're feeling better - don't you just love being able to open the windows without freezing?

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

Great job! Your test bag looks very nice. It's fun when everything finally clicks and goes together like you envisioned :)

I love when we can open up the house and let the breeze through...

Anonymous said...

It looks great!

ecky said...

i never turn down a handmade bag!!

elkesten at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Really nice!! Tell me again how long it is that you've been sewing?
Can't wait to see which fabric that your friend chose!
Mags

Anonymous said...

Your test bag looks great! Thanks for the chance to win!

Anonymous said...

I think the bag looks great. Did you keep the measurements and remember what you did step by step so you can do it again? You have gotten me in the mood to create something!!

Vicci said...

great bags!esp the floral one!

Erin said...

Great job once again!

Anonymous said...

I think you did a greatjob--as always. I love the floral fabric. Your *imaginary friend is very lucky! ;-)

Sara (with no H)

Anonymous said...

The bag looks marvelous! I wish that my sewing talent were even half of what you are capable. I've been reading your blog since October, and must admit that my favorite article so far is the 'Special Order' apron you made back in December. I love the figure of it. Anyways I'm rambling like always hehe. Congratulations on the bag and I am glad that you are feeling much better.

- Rebecca ♥

gratgri1 said...

I have the same bag in denim, but I love the different fabrics. Great job!

StepNurse said...

Yay! I'm so excited...I love that bag to death. Best two bucks I ever spent LOL That bag holds SO much stuff.

Thank you again!!

StepNurse said...

Hey wait a minute...did you do that without taking the bag apart? That's awesome.

nettie said...

Sorry you're not feeling so well. I'm feeling just fine, but would feel a whole lot better if I won that pretty bag ;)

(hmm, my word verification is 'resto'. Maybe that's a message for you - get well soon.)

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I just found your blog through the Wardrobe Refashion blog, and thought the bag was actually very cute! I have to say you did a good job at cloning. My attempts so far have not been very successful when trying to copy something.

Anonymous said...

That's a good looking bag. I think you did a great job matching the construction of the original.

I like flowery pink cottagey bags for spring and summer. The look seems to fit the season. I would love to win that bag.

Question, are you anti-all pinks? There are some really good ones like hot pink and magenta and fuchsia.

Linda D.

Anonymous said...

amazing, i think you have a natural talent for this stuff. BTW, sis still LOVES the apron.. my mom talks about it often, maybe one for her is in order this christmas.

Christy said...

This bag will be perfect for Spring. Count me in.

Bhavesha said...

The bag looks great to me! definitely better than what I could do so count me in for a new spring bag! Thanks!