Seabrook Bag from Seamwork Magazine

By
Here's a project where neither pattern nor fabric is available at The Drapery... but hey, we're all about sharing sewing inspiration! And we have plenty of fabrics that would work for this.

This 'Seabrook' bag pattern is from the Seamwork e-mag by Colette Patterns. Many of you know about Seamwork already but if you don't, have a look. Each monthly magazine has two pdf patterns which are designed to be simple, quick sewing projects. You can also purchase the patterns individually, which is what I did here.

 I chose this bag pattern because I wanted a bag that was fairly spacious and that could be worn as a casual backpack, for carrying during the day on an upcoming short holiday. I wanted to be able to whip up something quick, and use stash fabrics.

 Dog helping with demonstrating the size.
 
Fabrics used here are a Donegal Tweed and some silk brocade, both gifts from travelling relatives.
 On the bottom I used some denim, also from the stash.
 

Comments on the pattern and construction:
  • Essentially the bag is a couple of rectangles and a circle, and it seemed a bit excessive to print-and-tape a heap of paper just to cut out rectangles. However, there are some notches marked and perhaps it's the best solution.
  • I love the style and the size is perfect for what I wanted. It came together really quickly.
  • I found the grommets, which were very inexpensive, at Adelaide Leather & Saddlery, but the tool to set them was over $60. They recommended I visit Unley Shoe Repairs to have the grommets set, which I did.
  • The drawcord is quite thin and if I load up the bag with anything heavy, it could be quite uncomfortable to wear as a backpack. I may well end up replacing the grommets (metal eyes) with much larger ones and using a much thicker cord to help with comfort.
Rectangles are of course a very efficient way of using fabric. I had half a metre of the tweed and still had enough left over to whip up a You Sew Girl Flat Cap for my youngest son. I really love this pattern - as I've said before it's so well designed and written and the result is just so very satisfying.

Do you have any favourite bag or hat patterns?

- Jane & Fiona xx

Comments

Post a Comment

We love to know who's reading and what you think so please leave us a comment! We'll also try to answer any questions you may have.

Popular posts from this blog

Care of your Boiled Wool

By
Image
We have some lovely 100% boiled wools at The Drapery for this first time this year. The care of these fabrics was a bit of a mystery to us as well as to you, so we've done some investigation. Will my boiled wool shrink if I wash it at home? More than likely, yes. That surprised us, too. One would guess since the fabric is called 'boiled wool' and has a felted, non-fray texture, that it is pre-shrunk and would not shrink further. Not so - please be well aware! Here's what we found: We tried three kinds of gentle washing: - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle', 30 degrees , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. - Gentle hand wash, warm , with wool wash liquid, rinse, press dry in a towel. - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle' cold , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. In both warm washes (machine and hand) the wool experienced 10 - 15% shrinkage in length. There was little to no shrinkage in width. The cold wash showed sligh
Read more

Boiled Wool Shrug - free tutorial

By
Image
We have some luscious boiled wools in stock at The Drapery right now, and have put together a free tutorial for possibly the easiest garment you'll ever make! Searching for boiled wool inspiration, we came across this simple and lovely shrug by Manda of Treefall Design, who was inspired by a ready-to-wear piece. We whipped up a couple of prototypes in the shop and arrived at this which takes just a 75cm cut of fabric and three straight seams. Edges can all be left raw because boiled wool does not fray! REQUIREMENTS 75cm x boiled wool , ours is 150cm wide - would also work in wool knit fabric such as this Japanese wool blend (or this one ) and this Merino Rib Gutermann Sew-All thread in matching colour Cut about 50 - 55cm in from each selvedge so you have 2 pieces approx. 50 x 75cm, each with a 75cm fluffy selvedge. The piece from the middle is spare so you can use it for another project, or perhaps to embellish your shrug. Pin your pieces together along th
Read more

Pattern Review: In The Folds Jumpsuit (free pattern for Peppermint Magazine)

By
Image
Did someone say jumpsuit? Free pattern? By fantastic Australian designer In The Folds ? I was onto it like a shot! Pattern promo pic: I certainly hope Emily of In The Folds is paid quite well by Peppermint Magazine for the patterns she designs for them, because she's a thorough professional. This is a great pattern, a really well-constructed blank slate for individual interpretation or just a really clean, simple silhouette. So thanks Peppermint Magazine , for making this available to sewists everywhere (and for encouraging sewing in general)! And thanks Emily for the fab designs (more online here ). I made a muslin, which we always recommend and is particularly wise for a fabric-hungry pattern like this. You really don't want to use your 'good' fabric until you're sure of what you're doing. Muslin legs not full length because that was not necessary to check fit The pattern states that it's designed for a height of 5'7" which is a good f
Read more