The Day Care Bag

Like any sewing projects that I have done, it all started out because I saw something on a blog I wanted to try and make it.
On the blog Kit’s Crafts, I found a Knitting Bag Tutorial. The bag looks so cute and was such an interesting shape that I became inspired. So after work yesterday I started this project.

	First I started out by reading the blog and tried to envision the instructions. I clicked on the link for the pattern and found it a little intimidating. You don't have to be though, its actually really cool. I think if I would have printed it out versus making the pattern - it would have been a lot easier. But all in all it went well. Once you make the pattern, the rest is super easy.
	I had to hand draw the pattern onto brown paper bags. This was not easy. I messed up the pattern several times before I finally cut out the right sizes. And let me tell you something, typically I’ll cut things a little larger to leave room for mistakes. But If you have to make this pattern by hand too, gurl you better do exactly what that measurement says. After you get some experience with this pattern then I can totally see altering it to make different size bags.
Anyways when the patterns were cut out I laid them out on the fabric. These pictures show how I folded the fabric over four times and cut around my pattern once.
Next I worked on sewing the exterior and interior pieces together and making pockets. The interior triangle pocket were just something I made using a scrap or two off remnants. The exterior of the bag I accidentally cut it out two front center panels, so I made the second one into a tall exterior pocket.
I need to take a moment and say I need practice with pockets. If look at the Kits Craft Tutorial, you can see her accents on the front pockets. Her bag looks so good because of that step number 4. I don't have ribbon so I couldn't do this application, but my pockets are super sloppy & I need to start stepping up my game in that department.
Well I messed up a couple times doing different things in this project. Here was my first major stupid mistake. I sewed the bottom up wrong… somehow. I don't know why this happened, maybe cuz it was late I thought I figured out how to do it so I just did it and I should have stopped and looked and checked on it along the way it but I didn’t. Anyways, if your’s looks like the picture above, its wrong......
Anyways the bag turned out okay. I really love it, I just don't know if I am in love with it. I would make this bag 100 more time because it was so cool and so versatile. But I guess where I’m a little off about it is the overwhelming nature of the striped print. Don't get me wrong I freaking love the print and how I made it all the edges mitered, but I guess in combination with everything it makes the bag look super busy. Like looking at this bag makes me feel like I am having some kind of an optical malfunction or something…. Like when I look at it, I feel like I am going to have a freaking seizure over here. So me not liking my bag is all on me, the bag its self is awesome and so is the blog it came from.
Then again that little animal baby print is so freakin cute. I love that giraffe. I wish I had a stuffed animal that look like that giraffe. Anyways the Kit Craft blogger called it her knitting bag, I'm calling this The Day Care Bag. It's functional enough for mom to stuff all the things a baby might need for a day at the babysitter. Because of its dimensions it could fit a change of clothes, maybe a bottle in the front pocket, toys, diapers, the works. Its so cool,  I am very interested in working on this pattern again sometime. Its very functional and because the print is so loud it can't be lost easily and won't blend in to the background. :)

How I feel about making this bag....

• Don't start a project unless you can finish it. At first it was… I'm just going to cut out the pattern tonight, then it was…. well I'm just going to cut out the fabric, then… but I can just sew the pieces of lining and exterior together, then I said…. well crap I just want to finish the front piece first before I go to bed, next thing I know its 2 in the morning and I say…… F**k it I'm just finishing the whole g**damn thing tonight.
• I know why they call it fussy cuts now, they make you feel a little fussy when you are cutting them.
• Pay attention to what you are doing. Don't be distracted because mistakes, they’ll slip right in you'll never notice they happened until it's too late. Lets just say that in addition to sewing the bottom wrong I also had to rip out an entire set off super strong stitches because I put my strap in wrong.
• Speaking of my strap, you notice I gotta freaking gigantic strap going on there. I don't understand how the Kits Craft blogger’s strap only looked like it was two and a half inches wide. I was weired out cuz the top of my side panel was like 5 inches. So unless I messed up making my pattern I didn't want a tiny strap in a big 5” panel. Anyways the strap is cute and I don't mind that is freakin ginormous, it is what it is.
• Also the next time I might alter the pattern a little and I will probably repeat the front pockets on the back of the bag instead of a one big panel.