A bag for Ashley

I was one of the pattern testers for Seamstress Erin's new Presidio Purse. I made it for Ashley, as she had been asking for a big purse that would hold all of her things.  Well, this purse is definitely big enough! It is fabulous.

Ashley went shopping in my stash- which has plenty of bag making options. She chose this Amy Butler fabric that I've been hoarding for quite some time. I thought the fabric pattern was perfect for this large bag, and it is. 

I used a medium weight twill for the main fabric, but felt it would be a bit lighter than I wanted, so underlined it with some natural bull denim I have lying around. 

For the lining, I used a crepe/satin like fabric that was in the stash. It was a small piece that just worked for the lining pieces. Because the lining was pretty flimsy, I interfaced the pockets with SF101. 

I really wanted to make the version with rectangular D-rings on the handle, but couldn't find large enough ones locally. I settled on smaller ones found at JoAnn's and made pleats in the handle pieces that attached to it. With the denim underlining, this was a very difficult feat, but still looks good despite the stitches showing. (I have ordered the proper size rectangular rings online so I will have them for my next bag.)

Closeup of the pleated handle pieces.

I did make one kinda big mistake when making this. I had the instruction pages out of order and wasn't paying attention to the NUMBERED steps, so I attached the handle before inserting the zipper. DO NOT DO THIS. If it weren't so much work to attach the handle and get the stitching so nearly perfect, I would have removed it and redone the zipper. I still might. 

I skipped the insets because I felt this fabric was better suited to no insets. That is one of the great things about this pattern, there are so many ways to customize it! 

This is the most expression I think Ashley has ever shown in blog pictures! 

That is how much she loves it.

My thoughts on this pattern? The instructions were wonderful. If you follow them, it really isn't difficult at all. The zipper instructions are great, and I love that the main zipper has a tab at then end. It makes it very professional looking. The design is so fun! The possibilities are endless. It is a very large bag, and that makes it perfect for so many things. At first, I didn't really think this was a style for me (obviously that is why I made it for Ashley-normally I'd selfishly make these things for myself), but I was wrong. Ever so wrong! I love the pattern and will be making one for myself. 

After seeing all of the other versions, I want one with piping at the seams (I'm obsessed with Erin's tweed version *swoon*), a solid one, and one with insets. Will I really make this 3 more times? Maybe it will be my new go to gift item...