Sewing for #babyschep: Belle Baby Bag complete!

So it's been a few weeks since my last update--I'm totally slacking on my goal, but I've sort of got an excuse.  My sewing room is on the move--we're making room for BabySchep #2, so the entire upstairs of my house is in shambles.  That's a topic for another day, though.  The reason for writing today is to share a fabulous finish that I alluded to a few weeks ago:

The Belle Baby Bag is complete, and I finally have the photographs to prove it!  This bag was both a challenge and a joy to make.  For me, the biggest challenge was that barely any of the pieces are rectangular, meaning lots of cutting out pattern pieces with scissors.  Keep in mind that for every piece you observe on the outside, there are corresponding interfacing and lining pieces, so all in all, lots and lots of cutting!

As you can see, there are piles of ShapeFlex underneath those pattern pieces!

I opted to use a Frixion pen to mark all of my cutting lines, and used a rotary cutter and ruler on as many of the straight lines as I could to ease the strain on my wrist.  Pregnancy really does a number on ALL of your joints!

If you remember, I shared a photo of me cutting these pieces out of a different print.  Due to my error, I had to scrap those pieces, and select a new fabric for the bag.  Interestingly enough, this blue and black batik is the fabric that I originally had in mind for the bag that my hubby vetoed.  After the bag was complete, he acknowledged what I saw in the print and agreed that it works fabulously in this bag!  This is only my second time sewing with batiks, and I'm starting to warm up to them. 

The pattern calls for ShapeFlex as one of the interfacings, which I hoard by the bolt in my little studio.  One thing I love about it is that you can write on it with a pen pretty easily.  Once I had all the pieces fused together, keeping track of them was a breeze.

I added some fun hardware I purchased from BagMakerSupply--including those rivets!  Now that was fun to figure out.  Props to my hubby for helping me rivet a few tester pieces of vinyl before going to town on the real thing.  This was also my first time installing an adjustable slider on a strap--it was a little counterintuitive, but the instructions were very clear. 

I even added a little "handmade" plate!

I opted to go straight black for the lining.  While not my ideal choice, I had a bolt and a half of Kona black lying around, and it was the most economical choice, rather than shop around for a print that wouldn't clash with the exterior of the bag.  I love the combination of the Kona cotton with the ShapeFlex--it feels very durable.

The pattern calls for optional stroller clips--they are these little straps that clip onto the sides of the bag that you wrap around the handlebar of the stroller before you attach them.  They hold the bag at just the right height, although if you're pregnant like me, your belly will bump into the bag from time to time!

I might end up making more of these so I can just leave them attached to the different strollers we use for the little one.

Speaking of little one...

We just found out that BabySchep #2 will be another boy!  We are beyond excited, and now I'm even more relieved that I ended up using the blue batik for the bag!

In the end, I learned a lot making this bag.  In the past, I've primarily used SewSweetness patterns and have become accustomed to her bag construction techniques.  It was very encouraging to be able to apply different techniques with success.  It really makes me feel like I've come a long way since I started sewing a few years ago, and there's nothing quite like the feeling of being able to use something you've made with your own hands.  Thanks for stopping by--I'll be linking up to several linkups this week (Linky Tuesday, Let's Bee Social, Finish It Up Friday, TGIFF, Finished or Not Friday), I'm just so darned proud of this finish! 

Until next time, God Bless!