This bag project has been wrestled with for around a month now - even if I felt originally that it should be a quick one..... 😁😇🤨

I left the lovely main strap - possibly the bag's best feature! - back in Guardia Sanframondi a fortnight ago, which made me stop a while.... Alongside the bottom of it going VERY wrong: it was all bumfy and flumpy, and it got me quite fed up with how much work it was taking, and not moving forward.

Then I got hard-headed about 'darn-well finishing something!!' - as we do live in a chaotic mess of fabrics, boxes, muddy boots, unmade beds and damp cats - and it's hard to get into finishing energy for anything (except dinner, occasional clothes handwashing). I set my mind to it.

I made the rash move of cutting the whole bottom off of it. This helped loads, as it immediately brought the proportions of the bag into harmony (mostly). Then I could envision the correct solution: if I gathered the lower edges together with a large tacking stitch, then I could sew a simple oval base section into place. Easy (-ish)!

I used the sewing machine to run around the base, then folded back the seam allowances - then double-sewed them for additional reinforcement. And added some side pieces (below) for the long strap to attach to, when I pick it up from our Arthouse For Sale back in Guardia S.

I also sewed in the zip, by creating a border for it, then doing an invisible zip - which I'm pretty pleased with!

The sewing of this invisible zip piece to the mostly-finished bag top (the second-from-the-top photo), was a whole other challenge; urgh, very fiddly hand-sewing, pushing and pulling the piece into the top. I had to take a tuck or two in, to make sure the smaller straps line up!

Then I realised that the two smaller straps are too small... Wah! But I am going to introduce some more of the nice purple and pink fabric into these wee straps, so as to both reinforce and lengthen them.

For the final photos here, I filled the bag to see how it bulked out - and was pleasantly surprised at how it looks more funky and well-put-together than I was expecting: yey!

Though I have more corrections to make, I wanted to share this on Needlework Monday for some feedback! It is not as neat and beautifully-formed as I wanted it to be, but it is becoming its own shape, which is unique and quite fun.... I can imagine wearing it out and about 😁🤗🥰

Maybe with the big strap, the whole bag will balance even better...

Anyways, I like elements of it, like the contrast of materials that are similar but different. It came originally from a pinstriped miniskirt, a longer brown patterned skirt, and a pair of trousers.