Pattern Review/Hack - Amy Butler Bag

New year, New handbag.  You can never have too many handbags, in different colours, shapes, sizes, fabrics....  So why not sew your own?

 

 

 

This Amy Butler sewing pattern is available over on Sew Mama Sew and it's completely FREE! It even comes with two different strap lengths so you can decide which is best for you (or make both!?).

This pattern is well written and easy to follow. We made a couple of changes to the original design; we changed the shape of the flap to a curve, rather than the cut out shape of the pattern. This did mean we had to lower the 'tags' where the handles are sewn onto the bag to accommodate the new shape.

Secondly, instead of using 'Peltex' as the instructions call for, we improvised with super stiff interfacing. We used strong interfacing (as the pattern suggests) to line the majority of the pieces, but then instead of Peltex we used strong interfacing ironed onto pieces of cotton. This was far more cost effective and provides enough stability to shape the bag. To support the bottom we cut a piece of plastic and slid it in between the layers before attaching the lining to the outer bag.  You can just use a piece of cardboard for this if you don't have any suitable plastic to hand.

We chose to make the bag out of a faux suede fabric and to cover the bag flap in skull studs.  If you want to attach studs yourself its best to do this before you start sewing any of the pattern pieces together, just be sure to take the seam allowances into account when deciding on the layout of your studs.

We love the inside of this bag thanks to the bold contrasting neon yellow lining and the two divider pockets, one of which has a zips.  Compartments are key to a great bag and this pattern has it right.

You will need a needle that is able to cope with thick fabrics once all the layers are built up especially when attaching the flap to the main bag.  Also we decided to hand stich the final gathers in the side as it simply wouldn't fit under the sewing machine foot!

The possibilities of adapting this pattern make it essential to your fashion DIY collection.  Especially as it's free, you have nothing to lose!

We'd love to see any bags you've made yourself.

Love
F*2DIY4 x
@fashiontodiyfor #fashionDIY

DIY: Denim Jacket

This is a very simple DIY and as such we don't need to put together too detailed a tutorial. The key to a proper punk inspired denim jacket is to just do what you want! 

 

Studs: We ordered ours from eBay. There a whole array of shapes and sizes, so what you want is up to you.  There are two tools you can use when applying studs to you jacket (or any other clothes for that matter):

You use the Dart Pointed Awe Tool to make small holes in the fabric where you want the studs to go, and the Stud Prong Fold and Press Tool to bend the arms of the stud back once you've pushed it through the fabric. You can push the studs through and bend then back without these tools, but it's a lot easier and less tiring if you use these. They're essential to saving your achey hands and wrists. Trust us.

 

Have a play with how you want to use your studs. We alternated ours at 45° on the back of our jacket to give a different effect.  It's also important to consider spacing to make sure you don't end up with any gaps or your studs bunched up...unless that's the look your going for.
 

Patches: Patches patches patches. We love patches.  The best thing about them is that you can choose whatever you want. The selection you make is completely unique and important to you.  So get expressing yourself! We ordered our patches from eBay, which has almost any patch you could dream of.  You can also pick them up from 'Alternative' clothes or music shops (Blue Banana,  HMV, even Sports Direct has some on their site!)
 

Once you've chosen your patches take some time trying them out in different layouts on your jacket. We found it helpful to pin them in place and take a photo before moving them around again so we could easily compare different combinations.  The back of your jacket is the largest and most common place to cover, but also consider the front, sleeves, collar... anywhere really, it's your jacket!

When you're happy with the layout pin everything in place and get sewing! Best thing is this can be an on going DIY, you can add to it at anytime :)

Show us your Denim Jacket DIYs!

Love
F*2DIY4 x
@fashiontodiyfor #fashionDIY