Mabel has just started ballet lessons, so of course I had to make her a little bag to put her shoes in!

I bought this super cute Swan Lake fabric by Kokka months and months ago with the sole intention of it being used to make her a ballet bag, I was just never able to decide on what sort of bag that would be. So it was squirreled safely away until she started her lessons and I had made up my mind what bag pattern I would use.

After a lot of indecision and even brave thoughts I would design my own I picked a pattern by Minki Kim. Minki is renowned for her super sewing illustrations and fabrics but if you take a peek on her website you’ll see she also has some fab bag and pouch patterns too. The pattern I picked is actually for a lunch bag that I fell in love with when it came out a few months back, but had just never got around to making it. It seemed perfect for storing mini ballet slippers, and this way I was able to tick two things off my 2019 list of must makes! Bonus!

I am always a little nervous cutting into special fabric for a project I have not sewn before, I even contemplated making a practice one first but I was a little short on time and foam so I thought I better be brave and crack on! As it turned out her ballet class was cancelled on Saturday thanks to the snow so I had more time than I thought!

This is only the third time I have worked with soft and stable foam, and I’m slowly getting used to it. Because of the thicker layers I decided to use my walking foot, which made things a whole lot easier! I have heard bag makers say they use a walking foot when making bags and I can see why. Certainly less breath holding moments as the needle struggles less to get through all those layers!

I’d love to say I found this an easy pattern to “whip up”, but unfortunately my seam ripper did get a lot of use this time. The frustrating thing is I can’t even work out where I went wrong, but never mind I got there in the end!

In hindsight I am thinking a smaller print may have been better for this bag, I am not entirely happy with the fabric placement. Having said that, even though it is not perfectly made it is a perfect size for all her little ballet bits and she loves it! It’s always an immensely satisfying feeling making such a 3D structured object, especially if it is appreciated so much by the recipient!