Friday, April 13, 2012

Hip to be (not) square

Part of my "day job" involves managing -- to the penny -- multi mullion dollar projects.  Being able to reconcile financials across 50+ teams and 400+ people makes me very well qualified to do the math required to successfully modify pattern sizes for my sewing projects.


Note: Only one of the above sentences is true.  I'll let you decide which one.


My daughter asked me to make a purse-size messenger bag for a friend's birthday party this weekend.  I've used this free pattern multiple times in the past with really good results.  I decided to modify it slightly to make a smaller version, which would finish at 8" high, 8" wide, 3" deep.


Here's my modified version... which measures 9" high, 6.5" wide, 3" deep.  One out of 3 ain't bad??? *sigh*  And of course, the flap is too short for the bag... partially because the bag is 1" too tall... partially because of my stellar math / pattern translation skills.


My daughter picked the fabric from my stash.

I added a heart-shaped peace sign on the (too short) flap.  The lining is the same blue as the peace sign and there is a divided pocket on the inside, as well.  The strap is adjustable.

This is the back of the bag... that's another pocket.  


Well it sure looks good when *she's* wearing it!!  (Isn't she beautiful?  Pretend this photo isn't dark and shadowy and that her gorgeous copper-red hair is shining!)


Of course, my beautiful model has now requested one for herself.  I think I'll stick with the wonky bag measurements (I'm afraid of how much worse it could be next time) and instead just add 2" to the length of the flap, so it hangs all the way down over the front of the bag.  


Oh, and did I mention *sigh*?


PS -- My beautiful model is looking over my shoulder as I type this, and just said to me, "You messed up?? I think it looks great!"  Bless you, my beautiful girl!!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linking up with: 
Crazy Mom Quilts for  "Finish it Up Friday" 
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for "Whoop Whoop Friday"


I'm looking forward to seeing what you've worked on this week!









~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful model and what a sweet bag! I think it looks great the way it is!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How sweet and I love the peace sign inside the heart!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Eileen. Rachel (my daughter) was very clear that it had to be a peace sign AND a heart. I found a great imagine on line, printed it out and traced it to my Heat 'n Bond. I love the internet... very easy to get any shape I need with zero artistic (drawing) ability.

      Delete
  3. Well I say you just created a fantastic new pattern :) It does look great, and such a sweet model :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sue. The funny thing is even though it's not at all the size (or even the shape) I intended, it's perfect for Rachel's Kindle and favorite sketch pad. Any shorter would not have worked. We'll call this one a "happy accident" :-)

      Delete
  4. The bag looks great! If you hadn't mentioned the mistake, no one would ever guess. ;) I have that pattern on my "list of intentions" for 'someday'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a great pattern. I first used it to make a Girl Scout bag for my daughter... then one for her BFF... then one for my other daughter... The first time took me about 2 hours because it was my first bag and I was worried that I'd end up with an inside-out lining or something. Once I realized I just needed to trust the (very clear!) instructions, I can put one together in just over an hour (including the cutting).

      Delete
  5. The bag turned out great! Your daughter likes it and now wants one for herself. You've done very, very well!

    ReplyDelete
  6. it is cute, cute, cute!!! Almost as cute as the model! Nicely done.....peace.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank goodness for beautiful models who don't know, or care, that we messed up! I've got to get my "clothes" sewing machine out to make some things for my beautiful models next week.

    Your math intro made me laugh. I'm supposed to be the one good at math in this family, and I am, I swear I am, but sometimes it just doesn't click when I'm crafting. Must be a right brain/left brain thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, those are definitely the best models!! The funny part is that I've been trying for 2 days to figure out where I went wrong with the measurements. I've calculated, re-calculated, used graph paper. It *JUST* occured to me (about 3 minutes ago) that my measurements were just fine.... but I made the side the top and the top the side. I worked with a "portrait" rectangle instead of a "landscape" rectangle. *sigh* At least I feel better than I'm still qualified to help my kids with their math homework!

      Delete
  8. It's funny that we're hard on ourselves, but no one else notices our so-called mess ups :-) It's such a cute bag, I can see why your daughter loves it!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree with your beautiful model, you did a great job! Whoop whoop!!

    ReplyDelete

~ Thanks for taking the time to leave me some feedback! ~