Vacation Bag

I'm back from my annual vacation in rural PA and I feel fantastic! And, well, sore, as I did a lot of biking and trail running and my legs haven't seen a hill since about this time last year. But it's a good pain, and my eyes and heart are grateful for the views they found at the top of each hill. Living in a city, I don't often get the chance to see over things - I'm always surrounded by looming objects- and this trip always helps me feel free again.

My good friends are in them midst of a battle with a pipeline, so I had a few hours to sew one day when they were being filmed by a news crew and the girls were out playing with their adopted cousins. I purposefully brought only one item to sew for myself, which was fabric for a new bag. I've needed a new everyday bag for a while now - the old one is seasonally in the wrong (gray corduroy) as well as dingy and in need of a wash. I've been embarrassed to take it anywhere lately.

See? It even looks like it's frowning at me.

But left with personal time in my own sewing room, I'd almost always prefer to sew a dress or a top, so I needed to force myself a little.

And it turns out that a bag is the perfect for a little light vacation sewing: quick, easy, with no fitting issues. The beach novel of the sewing world.

This is the bag pattern from Burdastyle's Sewing Handbook. My only changes this time around were to add an internal zippered pocket, thermolam fleece interfacing to give the bag structure, and faux leather handles.

I bought slightly longer handles this time around (26 inches instead of the 19 inch handles I used for my last Burda bag) because I wanted to be able to wear the bag easily with a coat in the fall. They are maybe a tad too long now, but they hit about right.

I used fabric that I bought about 9 months ago from Ikea and the bag handles are from Etsy shop Merry Sewing N Fabric. The print is a little wild, but as these are all colors I regularly wear (teal/turquoise, purple, green), I figured I could pull it off. And I also don't care that much if it doesn't work - it's summer and I think the fashion police are all drinking Mai Tai's in their Hawaiian shirts.

This wasn't the only vacation sewing I did, as I brought some projects for Malinda and her girls that I'll show off for them later in the week. And I had so much fun with my own light sewing, that I made up a little clutch when I got back home which I'll post once the glue dries (my first metal frame!).

How about you? Have you done any beach sewing lately?