My New Obsession

I think it's the cold, or too much studying, but I have become obsessed with cute little handbags. And cute big handbags. And totes. They're quick to make, so you get instant gratification. They make great gifts, because they're like shoes - you really can't have too many. And, when you make your own, it's definitely one of a kind... I have a great Coach purse, but I see women carrying that exact purse on a pretty regular basis.


I can be reasonably certain that there will never be anyone else (except The Yarn Princess, because I gave it to her!) carrying this exact bag, because I made it out of three fat quarters, one of which was a discontinued line. Like it? Want to make your own?


The tutorial is a free download from You Can Make This!. It's the "Debut" handbag and it really is easy - pretty much straight-line sewing all the way through. It took about three hours, start to finish, but it was the first one I'd made, so I imagine I could do another in about two hours. Two hours and three fat quarters (and a couple of notions) and you have the perfect gift.


Oh, and the buttons? The bag cried out for matching buttons, so I found this great fabric-covered button tutorial on Craft Pudding and made my own! You can't see very well in the photo, but the buttons match the dark brown polka-dotted fabric. I am really pleased with the way the whole thing turned out - there are definitely more "Debut" handbags in my future! (And maybe in yours - I have a giveaway coming up!)


However, this post needs a disclaimer - after you make this cute little bag, you will have an inflated sense of your own abilities. This might lead to shopping at fabric stores and buying fabric and patterns (like, say, for a corded jacket with darts & buttons!) that you can't possibly manage in the time you have available. So you will then be reduced to making tote bags out of the jacket material, like so:

And your sons will call the tote hopelessly old-fashioned, and even though you've made one for yourself and for somebody else, you will question the wisdom of giving the tote to the person...


And, then, you'll say, "What the heck!" and give them the tote anyway, and they'll be happy, because, like shoes and purses, you can't have too many cute totes. And you'll be relieved, and glad you didn't listen to those silly boys. Hypothetically, I mean!