Summer Bag

I have an obsession with handbags.

When I was a little girl, my mother took me shopping to outfit me for my first day of school.  She believed in letting children make their own decisions where appropriate, so she said that I would be able to select my schoolbag.  I picked a black patent leather satchel - very eighties and far too big for a five year old.  I adored that thing.

I have a wardrobe of bags now, mostly leather.  However, I do like a canvas bag for summer, so I decided to make one - a simple bag that could hold the terrifying amounts of stuff that I need to carry for the baby and for myself.

I didn't want to buy a pattern, so I used a pattern I already owned,  Simplicity 1666 as my base.  The Lisette range is fun and sweet - I intend to make the dress from the pattern in Jersey at some point in the future.  

It was incredibly easy to sew, however as usual I did not follow the instructions exactly and I changed the actual construction of the bag - I left out the circular bottom  because I was lazy, however I added a pocket to the front for my transit pass.

I also folded in the sides and secured them with a couple of poppers to make the shape different.  As I wanted a very soft, floppy bag, I left out the interfacing.

So now I have a floppy, cheerful, yellow summer bag!

I am standing in the middle of a pile of possibility, or a hoard.

I have a treasure trove of craft supplies.
I have always felt a resonance with the quote 'To travel hopefully is better than to arrive.'  I am disappointed with things that are and I greatly prefer things that could be.  I have a vivid imagination and a magpie soul - I like to stand in a dusty fabric store and look at the shelves right at the top, trying to see if there is anything that I particularly want to rescue.
I think that my use of the term 'rescue' says a lot about my relationship with material objects.

I get nervous when I think about using my treasure trove of craft supplies.
They are so perfect as they are.  I have a bag of yarn, probably from the nineteen sixties, called 'Listertweed'.  I have some lengths of liberty jersey, fluid and beautifully muted.   I have cones of yarn saved from a cap making warehouse in a wood.  I have a lot of things and I love them.

I should really use my treasure trove of craft supplies. 
I don't have any money to buy beautiful new clothes at the moment.  I spend my clothing budget on adorable things for my daughter and magazines filled with pictures of houses.  Usually the houses have swimming pools.   I should probably make myself a couple of dresses.