Sunday 24 March 2019

Bowl Me Over Bag

My Bowl Me Over bag is finished and I love it.



The front


The back

The pattern is Bowl Me Over byAnnie, and the fabrics are Skylark by Margot and Elena for Tokyo Milk - part of Freespirit Fabrics.

I've used the same fabric in two different colourways throughout the bag, with a complementary pink trim for the bindings. I machine quilted the panels with hot pink Aurifil before I started to assemble the bag.


I included the easy access pockets on one side of the interior, but skipped the zipped pocket on the other side of the interior.  I felt it already had enough pockets, and another pocket was just going to add to the bulk I needed to sew through to complete the bag. I used Soft and Stable trhoughout - as recommended in the pattern.

Annie describes this bag as "fun to make".  Mmmm...... stressful to make is possibly more like it! There are a lot of pieces, and if you use a fabric with a directional print you need to take extra care with the cutting.

The instructions are all very clear, but the whole process takes time.  I spent a whole week on this bag, sewing for 3 or 4 hours each day.  Some may say I'm a perfectionist, but I wanted it to be as good as a bought one, so I took it slowly, and took breaks before I made a mistake.

Here are some WIP photos:





The exterior pieces - front and back

The reverse sides of the front and back - the inside of the bag


Preparing to seal the inside seams. I hand sewing the binding down. 

Clover clips to the rescue

So yes, it took time to make this bag, but I'm very happy with the result.  I love these fabrics and this bag pattern is a great way to show them off.





Look out for me and my bag at the Sydney Quilt Show this year!


16 comments:

Chay said...

Beautiful bag and being a perfectionist really pays off with a project like this. It looks great! Love your choice of fabrics. You will love having a bag this size and I'll bet you gets lots of "Where did you get that adorable bag?" questions.

Linda H said...

Thats a beautiful bag, Wendy. Worth all the time and care you put into it, for sure. You’ll be getting lots of compliments!

Emma's Daughter said...

Beautiful job!

Michele Hill said...

Wow Wendy....your bag is gorgeous........and yes I think you just might be a perfectionist from what I see.....wish I had more of that trait in my work!!!~

Quilting Babcia said...

Your bag is positively gorgeous! Well worth the time it took to make, and you have the fabrics you wanted, something we don't always achieve with 'store-bought.'

Jenny said...

Absolutely positively gorgeous! It may well have been a challenging make, but it has turned our beautifully.

Gretchen Weaver said...

Nice Bag!

sam said...

Your bag is gorgeous. Being a perfectionist is hard but sometimes in the end it is totally worth it. Thanks for sharing so many photos of the process. I'm really in awe over the piping and binding of the interior. Kudos my dear.

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

I'm bowled over!! I would say your bag is BETTER than one that could be purchased. I don't think pattern designers are completely honest about how long it takes to make a bag or how easy the pattern is. It can be very off putting. Love the colors and the finished purse. Congrats.

Julie said...

Fabulous looking bag, and so very you in those colours. I am sure you will enjoy using it a lot.

Sue said...

Beautiful Bag Wendy. One thing about ByAnnie bags is that the instructions are very clear and well written.

Anonymous said...

It’s a gorgeous bag! Love your fabric choices. And yes, I would find that pattern rather intimidating, so you have all my admiration!

Cathy Melancon said...

Wendy, this is one gorgeous bag!! I am personally bag “challenged” and only dream of being able to make a bag like this. I do think going slowly is the key. Thank you for the progress shots and all your great pics! You should be so proud!

lvkwilt said...

Great fabrics, great pattern, great quilter! Love it!

Danette said...

It is a lovely bag! I agree with you, bag-making for me can cause quite a bit of stress. But, this bag looks like it was definitely worth it for you. So lovely!

Susan A said...

Your bag is wonderful.. better than the store bought variety since you could customize the fabrics...