London bag

It is hard to believe London Olympics are over already! These past 16 days have been unforgettable. In the event of these games coming to a close, I thought I’d share this London bag I made for a friend.

Earlier this year I had a request from my friend for a bag that she can take to work. It had to have lots of space for her files and pockets for everyday items that she carries.

First thing that came to my mind was “A day in the park Backpack tote” pattern by Liesl Gibson that I stowed away somewhere about 2 years ago. I have wanted to try this pattern very badly but was also quite nervous at attempting a bag with so many details.

I only made one or two simple totes before and wasn’t sure if I could do it. But finally I am glad I had this push!

I really didn’t had to fear that much…the instructions were very well written and walk you through each step carefully.

 (zipper pocket is on the other side)

The original bag size was a bit small for my friend’s files to fit finishing at 12” wide and 2” deep. So I made some changes by adding a couple of inches to the width and to the side panels. I also increased the height of the outside pocket for more storage.

The feature that attracted me most about this pattern is the convenience to turn it into either a backpack or a tote and I even got the hardware for it. But my friend is not into Backpacks and only wanted a shoulder bag. So I omitted those details.

I got these fabrics at SuperBuzzy. The linen dotted fabric on the outside is actually reversible. I used the cross-stitch print which is on the reverse side for the handles and for lining the outside pocket. Handles are cream colored cotton webbing. I stitched fabric on one-side to make it match well with rest of the bag.

By the way, SuperBuzzy's Birthday is approaching this month. So there is a huge sale going on right now. If you’ve had your eye on any special fabrics, maybe it is a good time to take a peek ( * V * )

While we were in California last month, we visited this super cute shop in Ventura. It has been my most favorite online shop for a long long time and I was so happy when I heard that Kelly was opening a retail store last year. Kelly was so amazing in person and so warm and wonderful! It was a great pleasure to meet her. She was busy as a bee on the day we visited but was always smiling and helping us. Thank you so much Kelly for such a memorable time in Ventura!! Happy Happy celebrations on SuperBuzzy’s Birthday!!!

Some adorable fabrics I got at Superbuzzy...

TP collection         Happy Smile       Party planet        Toothpaste Kokka

The teddy bears are so cute with rolling eyes and wearing polka dot Bandannas, I couldn't resist them!

In the Happy smile farbric, do you see someone not very happy? I feel like giving her a lollipop and making her smile too! I love the outfits these sweet kids are in!

These kitties were looking so fragile and needed some attention (that's my excuse for getting this glittered fabric  ;) It is a heavy weight fabric perfect for making accessories.

This Toothpaste fabric is just awesome! Kelly said she is planning to make a dress for herself with this fabric.  How cool is that!!!

I hope the 'Happy Smile ' fabric made you smile too! Keep smiling and enjoy your day ( : u : )