Practice Bag

I decided to make the Smyca bag, just for fun, using some old fabric I had laying around. I only had about 2 yds of this striped decorator fabric, and it was so bland I wasn't sure what to do with it, so I figured it would be perfect for this project. The bag is super easy. I hand drew a muslin pattern--it is only three pieces: back panel, front panel (both exactly the same) and a bottom piece that looks a lot like a canoe. I sewed the back and front panels to the bottom first, and then stitched up the sides. Then I made some edging out of the fabric to form the "handles" of the bag. It came out fine--kind of cute--but if I were to do it over again I'd use the lining fabric for the handles. It would spice up the bag a bit, I think. I didn't do it originally because the lining is just a simple cotton (Robert Kaufman, I think) and I was afraid it would have much substance to it. However, if I'm not too lazy then I might create some edging out of the lining fabric, and simply sew it on top of the already existing handles. Might look cute to have it layered.

the finished bag


lining of the bag--quite a contrast!


detail of the lining