My new purse :)

This week, I've been making a new purse. I needed something just a little bigger than the "wallet-on-a-string" I've been carrying, but nothing as big as the "mom-purse" I used before that.

I bought a bunch of patterns over the last couple years from www.studiokatdesigns.com, and I decided to put together a Sidekick purse. It's got lots of pockets and a fold-out check register, not to mention the changepurse and the inside pocket. Seemed like a great purse! So I went through my stash and picked out some cool fabrics: A gray, black and silver metallic with swirls, and a great black tonal with swirls to match.

The pattern is tricky when you start putting the sides into the bag. I was cursing a lot for the last couple hours of construction, especially for the last step of adding the bias tape. I broke my thread about a dozen times AND broke a needle. But, it's done! Here's the final result.

I LOVE IT! I love that when I opened up my flap pieces, the placement was perfect and there was a focal point of the print centered. And I love how the black looks with the gray. I've gotten all the stuff I NEED in it, leaving out what I don't, and find I still have plenty of space. Took me about 2 days off and on to make it. If I make another one, I'm going to modify the placement of the ends of the zippers, I don't care for the gaps left from following the measurements in the directions, and I'll actually hand stitch the second side of the bias tape as the instructions recommend. I might flip the fold around in the check register too, so I can put both my checkbooks in it the right way (one's upside down in the top pocket right now LOL).