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!