I’ve been admiring this bag for sometime over on Instagram and had been debating whether to make one, I always put it off as they look so tricky to make. It just so happened a week after I had clicked out of the Craftsy pattern page for it that a sew along popped up on my Insta feed.

A chance to sew along with my fellow sewing friends at a leisurely pace with no pressure to be finished immediately. Well how perfect, it was like it was meant to be and I knew I had to take part in this sew along. There are plenty of sew along’s on instagram that I have wanted to take part (including the Happy Flower QAL!) but for many a reason I am always too late to join in! I knew this time that I had to set aside some time to complete this one, and although there is no deadline to finish I set my own personal deadline, we are going away at the end of the week and I want something to take all my little sewing bits and pieces with me.

The first challenge was picking my fabrics! This took me a good few days. In the end I went with some super cute Unicorn fabric by Makeower

I have to admit the next thing that stumped me was the cutting out, and I did have to ask @crimsonconfection on Instagram who was super sweet and very helpful.

The best thing to do with this pattern is just focus on one section at a time and read it through a couple of times before you start that stage.

I enjoyed the first part of this bag more than the last part, I do enjoy sewing zips! I realise I am in the minority! If you are nervous about sewing in a zip they really are easier than you think, don’t let it hold you back.

When it comes to sewing it all together my advice would be to use a new needle. Your machine has to sew through a lot of layers and it’s going to need all the help it can get! I know some people were saying about hitting the metal zip ends. I bought 10 inch zips by accident instead of 9 inch and had to shorten them, this did mean that I didn’t have to worry about hearing that fateful crack of a needle when it hits a bit of metal! So maybe something else for you to consider.

Definitely don’t do this when you are in a rush, this does need you to go at a slow and steady pace, and if you try to rush it will become a bit of a stress, especially if things go wrong. It’s far more enjoyable if you take your time and enjoy the process. Lastly if you have any questions the lovely ladies on Instagram are very helpful, or you can message me and I’ll try to help! Take a look at the hashtag #sewtogetherin2017 for some inspiration!

I did really enjoy making this bag, I enjoyed challenging myself and feel so pleased with what I’ve achieved, although in my eyes it’s by no means perfect. I’m so glad I bit the bullet and went for it! I will make another in time but I may need to leave it a while!

I think I’m happy with the final result, as I already said it is by no means perfect and there are a few little faults with it, but for my first attempt I’m happy. If I was to start over I think I would pick a different binding, I’m not sure if I am happy with it, however it took me so long and it was so fiddly to put on I won’t be changing it! My tip for the binding is to sew on by hand!