Ellison lane is having a fun linky party showcasing our crafty items we have made to travel with. I thought this is an excellent time to show you a bag that I made my mother (but I secretly wanted to keep this for myself!).
It’s no secret that I have enjoyed making the infamous Amy Butler’s “The Weekender Bag”. It is touted as the “holy grail” of bags. It has it’s challenges, sure, but it’s not as unattainable as many claim it to be. Yes, I’m a seasoned, experienced seamstress, but this bag is tamable.
I promise.
I have made four of these bags so far, with each one of them different. This one is no exception. I am a cheap frugal sewer, and my budget is very, very close to $0. So for me to buy the materials listed on the pattern, totaling over $150…. it wasn’t going to happen. So I scoured the internet (we have such a fabulous crafting/sewing/quilting community, don’t we?!) to find alternate ways to make this bag, before I bought the pattern. I wasn’t about to spend money for the pattern if I couldn’t make it for cheaper.
I give to you my Mother’s Scrappy Weekender.
I decided on a red, aqua, green, and yellow color story, for this is so my mom! The star is paper pieced and I was able to get the outer pocket lined up with the top panel. The bottom part of the front panel (that you don’t see) is a large piece of material. It coordinates with the color story, but it’s not scrappy. I’m very happy with how it turned out!
I copied followed Elizabeth Hartman’s QAYG method, so I didn’t need the layers of interfacing called for in the making of the bag ( that’s code for “cheaper”).
I decided to use a strap instead of handles and, to continue my frugal theme, the strap and hardware were harvested from a free diaper bag we received from the hospital (the bag had seen better days, so I wasn’t sad about the loss). I covered it with this strip fabric that coordinates nicely.
These side pockets were “oops” blocks, that didn’t quite make the cut for the front. Not needing 2 more orphan blocks, I decided they should become the side pockets. I had just enough of this black/white polka dot binding from another project left over to use on this bag. I love how the black plays with the other colors! You can also see the lining on the outside pockets peeking through here, too
The inside lining is an aqua and green vintage sheet that my mother just loves (she picked it out)! This was a time consuming way, since I used fairly small pieces, but I sure do love the way it turned out!
Is there anything better in Grammy’s bag then a cute little boy?!