Tag: jen giddens

Bags

Jen Giddens Classic Messenger Bag

Ms. ChinchillaLeave a comment

I love messenger bag style purses and was excited to try out Jen Gidden’s Classic Messenger Bag pattern. I have made her Pleated Tote pattern and really liked it. Very simple and clear instructions.

Messenger Bag

I used decorator weight Lovesme Lovesmenot in Leaf from Anna Maria Horner’s Innocent Crush collection.

Messenger Bag Inside

For the inside lining, I used a polka dot from American Jane Patterns from the Look and Learn collection by Sandy Klop. There is just a simple pocket inside, but you could really customize here adding a zippered pocket or specialized pockets for your phone, etc.

Messenger Bag

For the interfacing, to give it body, I used Pellon 809 Decor Bond.  This made the flap a little stiff. Currently, it looks very nice, but I wonder how it will really stand up to real world use.

All in all, this was a very fun project and pretty much instant gratification, which was exactly what I was looking for!

Bags

Pleated Tote

Ms. Chinchilla1 Comment
I started working on The Pleated Tote pattern from Jen Giddens. I really like the way she writes her patterns. They are simple and clear of errors. She also includes suggestions for the type of material that would work well and how to customize your bag. I would definitely try some of her other patterns available through Sew, Mama, Sew! and Jen’s web site.
For interfacing I am using Pellon 808 Craft Fuse. I am hoping it gives the bag body without being too stiff.
For the exterior of the bag I used Michael Miller’s Gray Bird Swing:
For the interior Citron Daisy Flowers, also from Michael Miller:
Here’s some quick pictures of the finished bag:

I still need to iron the bag more, trim some threads and perhaps put some tissue paper or plastic bags inside to full it out for a better picture.