zip-away shopping bag.

i won't lie, this is a post i should've written months ago, MONTHS!

way back at the start of july, nikki, put a call out on her blog for beginner sew-ers to test a pattern that she had been working on, the zip-away shopping bag.
now i'd purchased a few of these in my time, and used them until they fell apart, and then repaired them and used them some more, so it was definitely a pattern i wanted to try out.
plus, i'd read through nikki's book and had it completely blow my mind how little i knew about all things garment and bag sewing.

fast forward a week...



and i had a bag.

now this is not a big pattern. it's not hugely involved in processes but the pattern has SO many tips and tricks that i learned probably close to a billion things.

for instance, see that zip there, i'd never sewn one in before like that, on a curve, but after reading nikki's instructions (a few times, to let them properly sink in) i put it in like a PRO!
pleased with myself was an understatement. until i realised that i'd put the zip in back to front... my fault, not understanding how zips work. but then i put it in again, like a PRO! ha!

in putting in that zip, i learned which foot was the zipper foot for my machine (truth: i've never used anything except the regular one before :S) and i've used it since!
almost all of the super secret hen's night sewing used the zipper foot to get nice, even top stitching.

i also learnt a whole heap of things about interfacings...
as in, i learnt everything i currently know about interfacings...
fast2fuse is some awesome stuff, as is vliesofix! i used both of them in the super secret hen's night sewing :D

in case you're wondering what the bag looks like all zipped up...



it looks like this!
when it's open, the shell of the bag, becomes the base. it's super handy for carrying heavy stuff, milk, juice, a six pack of cider...
i use this bag on a daily basis, and after a few months of use, it's definitely holding up!

i'm really hoping to get a few of these made for presents for christmas! CHRISTMAS, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPP!

you can get the pattern here here, with only one pattern piece, it's an excellent downloadable pattern :D


have you made anything from a cool pattern recently? or started to get anything written for christmas?