The Long Weekend Bag

The Long Weekend Bag project continues. Day 1 was spent cutting out all of the pieces - 52 or 54 of them. Day 2 was spent fusing the appropriate stabilizer to each piece and making sure that each piece was labeled. Day 3 was the first day that any actual sewing was done. Pockets, zippers and handles! I also needed to insert the cording into the handles and was absolutely POSITIVE that the pattern just had to be wrong! After making sure that I had enough fabric left in case I needed to recut the bag handles, I decided to try it the way the pattern directed. It worked - perfectly! My arrogance almost got me into trouble!

Well, I'm on page 18 of the pattern booklet and today, I needed to add the side panels to both the bag lining and the outside of the bag. The pattern instructions said that you would need LOTS of pins for this step. This really means that you are going to have LOTS of opportunities to stab yourself and should try to keep the blood off the bag. :-)

That is enough for today! I don't think my shoulders will take any more until tomorrow. I do have Band Ais on 4 fingers, but I did NOT get any blood on the bag! Tomorrow I will move on to putting the bottoms in both the lining and the outside of the bag.

Another bag finish

Another bag is finished.

The bag is pretty, bigger than I expected to be and most of all DONE!

This was the bag from #$%^ The pattern itself - not for the faint of heart - and definitely not a "first bag" had no pictures or diagrams, only text to explain what needed to be done for each step.

Now, I've been sewing for 40 years, quilting for 20 and making bags for a couple of years and this one was awful! The company really needs to do something about the directions for this pattern!

Also - the pattern specifically called for each piece to be basted to lightweight cotton batting. I used the lightest bat they make and there were times I was sewing thru 8 thicknesses of "stuff".

Before I make this one again, (and I'm sure I will) I'll be rewritting the directions and deciding what does and does not have to be padded! Whew! My shoulders, wrists and hands will need a day or two to recover.

Have a great day

Beth (in rainy Michigan)