When it comes to sewing, my sister is the one who started it all. About 15 years ago, we both had friends who were having babies, so we taught ourselves to sew in order to make them baby quilts. And now, every once in a while, we still get together to tackle some project or other. This summer, she said she wanted to make herself a new bag or purse to take on an upcoming vacation, so we decided to both make Amy Butler’s Blossom Bag. I had seen the free pattern at Sew, Mama, Sew! and had it on my “to do” list for years.
I have always read about how complicated and intimidating some of Amy Butler’s patterns can be, but this honestly was not particularly difficult. It was of course very tedious given all the different layers of interfacing. After an initial fabric and supply shopping trip with my sister, I ended up making most of my bag by myself and didn’t run into any problems.
When we got back together to sew her bag, however, we seemed to fall into our usual routine of making silly mistakes (that’s what happens when you’re talking instead of focusing!). As a result, her bag ended up slightly shorter than mine, but honestly, it still looks very nice.
This bag is about three times the size of the purse I normally carry, so it still seems enormous to me. But I do like how roomy it is, and I like the dividers and zippered pockets.
I think I need to add this bag to my to-sew list. I love the fabric on that first bag especially, but both have gorgeous fabric. I appreciate big bags, at least while I have four small children. I could see that changing as my kids get older.