My Buttercup Bag

You might remember that I am a member of an online sewing group that challenges members to sew an item a week throughout the year.  The first week of each month has a theme, and the theme last week was "Bags; Sewing For Me."  I had a tough time choosing the right fabric and pattern but in the end I went with The Buttercup Bag by Made by Rae.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I've made a few bags before and seeing as my creative time is limited I wanted to make something that I will use a lot, hence my fabric choice.  Plus, part of living in France means that you really need a handbag to match each outfit or you just shouldn't carry one ;)  There are a few more bags on pinterest that I will make, but I have some gifts that I have to focus on first.

The tutorial is easy to follow and I would recommend it.  I scaled mine up, by cutting it about half an inch bigger than the pattern pieces.  Sure, I could have scaled it up using the printer, but that would involve knowing how to use my printer...

I didn't really follow the instructions but went went about it the way that was easiest for me.  For example, I sewed on the button embellishment with the machine before sewing the lining and outer piece together (who has time for hand-stitching???).  I also caught the strap between the outer and lining pieces as I wanted a neater look and, for the same reason, I top-stitched all of my seams (I think this should be done for all bags whether the pattern tells you to or not.  It looks good and strengthens the end product).  

Delilah lost inside my bag.  Topstitching a bag this size is possible, just a
bit annoying!  Go slowly and stop regularly to check that you're not
accidentally feeding two layers through the machine.

I sewed two pockets into the lining (but in hindsight I placed them a little too high) and I had to reshape the bottom of the bag slightly as my lining piece and outer bag piece didn't line up for some reason...

My trusty rotary cutter came to the rescue and voila! The outer piece
 and lining match up ;)

Would I make the Buttercup Bag again?  Yes, definitely!  I've used it a couple of times since I made it, but only when it matches my outfit ;)

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