In my previous post, “Kissin’ Cousins,” I told you about my search for just the right bag pattern to use for three bags I’m making for my cousin’s wife, Diane, and her sisters. So far I’ve made the Sallie Tomato “Zippy” crossbody bag, followed by its big sister, Sallie Tomato’s “Myrna” crossbody bag.
When I finished the Zippy, I felt it was too flat to be able to throw more than a thin wallet and a phone into. The Myrna, with its boxed bottom, was thicker. You could also tuck sunglasses and a few other essentials into that bag. Maybe something a little deeper front-to-back would be better.
I searched through the websites of my favorite bag designers, and decided to try the SewDaKine crossbody bag the designer named “The Triple Zip.” I dug into my stash of beautiful Richloom vinyls designed by my neighbor and found a piece that went beautifully with a piece of batik I purchased on my 2018 textile tour of Bali.
Where the Zippy was a flat bag, and the Myrna had a boxed bottom, the Triple Zip used small darts in the bottom “corners” to increase the depth. Click the picture with this paragraph and you can clearly see those darts. And the Triple Zip is tall. The photo at the top shows the bag standing next to a full-size 16.9 fluid ounce water bottle. The pattern cover states the finished dimensions are 12″ tall, 11.5″ wide, and 2″ deep.
This is the first Sew Da Kine pattern I’ve made. I do know that she makes beautiful bags, which she sells on her website and in various boutiques in Hilo, Hawaii, where she lives. Those bags are from her line of bag patterns, which she encourages buyers to make at will. Many bag designers restrict the number of bags the sewist can make for sale or gifting. Not this designer. Knock yourself out, she says. Make all the money you can selling them. To me, that’s generosity.
As long as we’re talking about the bags I plan to make for my Diane and her sisters, I should show you the two vintage fabrics. Then you can understand why I keep looking at patterns with horizontal sections on the front of the bag. It just seems natural to me to want to accentuate those graphic strips.
I think all the crossbody bags I’ve made to this point have had the adjustable strap attached to the bag with swivel clips. This is the first one where the strap was constructed as part of the bag construction. In turning a long strip of fabric into a strap, one end was folded over so there were no raw edges, and the other end was left unfinished. The unfinished end was sewn into the top seam, while the finished end, was looped through the D-ring and sew in place. So that was interesting to me. I love learning new things. (If you don’t know how to make adjustable straps and are curious, there are lots of videos on YouTube. Just search “crossbody” or “adjustable strap.”) I don’t know that I like this technique better than the swivel clips, but it does save the sewist a couple of dollars on hardware. And you’ll see this technique again in a post yet to be written.
The other personalization I used on this pattern was to add a slip pocket in the back of the exterior. I used the technique I learned in the Zippy bag, three posts earlier, and made a pocket that will be protected, next to your body, when you’re “wearing” the bag.
I purchased my zipper-by-the-yard for this project from My Handmade Space. There has been some controversy on a couple of social media groups about this vendor posting something not politically correct somewhere. I try not to get into politics on social media except when it comes to Covid. (I hate that masks and vaccines have become politicized!) But I wanted these star zipper pulls on this bag, so bought them on this site.
The fabric is a Richloom RV and mobile home upholstery fabric designed by my generous nextdoor neighbor. JoAnn’s carries some Richloom products. If you happen to purchase some for a project, whether a bag or pouch or a chair cushion, you will be one happy sewist. The fabric is wonderful and sews like buttah. Some of the vinyls my neighbor designs look like cotton fabric. The lining for this bag is a batik I picked up in Bali three years ago. I had enough to use for the exterior inset, the lining, and the pocket linings, along with the strap. I always love the hand of a Bali batik. The zippers, which are nylon coil, crafted to look like metal. The link to My Handmade Space is above.
The more I look at this finished bag closely, the more I like it. This may be The One for Diane. I’ve got to closely examine the necessary yardage to make three of these, and ensure I’ve got enough.
