Sara Lawson, of Sew Sweetness Patterns, introduced a new bag, called the Rockstar Bag, about two months ago. Frequently, Michele Graham, who is one of the moderators on Sara’s fans group on Facebook and a super sewist in her own right, will host a sew-along when a new bag comes out. I’m participating in the Rockstar Bag sew-along, but am lagging behind the group because of musical obligations and mask-making needs.
The sew-along lasts about six weeks, and I made it through the fourth week. One of the optional assignments in the fourth week was to make a coordinating pouch to go with the bag. I chose the small Persimmon Dumpling Pouch, which is just the sweetest little bag.
I posted the little finished pouch on the sew-along page, but also on Instagram and Facebook. I have a Crews cousin who lives in southern Georgia and loves the bright fabrics that I love. When she saw this little pouch on Facebook, she immediately asked if she could buy it. I texted her a price and she mailed me a check. But before shipping it off to her (which I will do tomorrow morning), I quickly made a mask to match the pouch.
I will tell you I’ve come up with a new twist on the Zippy masks that I’ve been making exclusively for several months. The Zippy has a zip tie in the center front seam, holding that seam away from the wearer’s nose. But now I’ve started sewing a strip of horsehair braid horizontally across the same mask piece that has the zip tie. The “horsehair” + zip tie combination gives lift to the fabric both horizontally and vertically and makes breathing and speaking much easier. It’s extra work for me, but—I think—much more comfortable for the wearer. I gave one to Jas yesterday, and raced across the backyard to hand one to my nextdoor neighbor this afternoon before she ran errands with her son. I have one finished for her husband that I’ll deliver tomorrow. So I have testers on the scene to tell me if this new design is as comfortable as I think it is.
And here are interim pictures of the Rockstar Bag, far from finished, but isn’t that gorgeous fabric? The colors!
Week Zero assignment, two weeks in duration, was to amass all the materials—fabric, zippers, hardware. The fabric I chose was from Allison Glass’s “Diving Board” collection. Lilliput in Sunset for the exterior; Latitude in Seaweed for the straps and handles; and Starfish in Ocean for the lining. Black zipper-by-the-yard with rainbow coils.
Week One assignment was to cut out all the pattern pieces and fuse the interfacing.
Week Two assignment, make the pockets. Front flap/pocket with zipper, two interior zippered pockets. Challenge: add another pocket somewhere. I chose to add a pocket sized for my iPhone 11 on the end panel.
Week Three assignment, straps and handles. Make and attach the handle extenders on either side of the front pocket on the front panel; sew coordinating handle extenders onto the back panel; make handles and attached to the hardware on the handle extenders; make and attach the strap tabs; make adjustable shoulder strap. (Pattern does not provide for it to be adjustable—link provided to YouTube video explaining how to make it adjustable.) Challenge: Make a coordinating pouch to comprise a bag set.
[Week Four assignment is to assemble the exterior and make/attach the piping; Week Five is to finish the bag. That will all happen before Thanksgiving, but not this week!!]
