When my MIL and I were visiting her LQS as part of the Shop Hop a few weeks ago, we both spotted the sample bag from this pattern and immediately went over and drooled all over it (metaphorically speaking, that is - ick, drool!).  We also snatched the last copy of the pattern in stock!  The deal was that she bought the pattern, because as with most of her sewing stuff, when she’s done with it or passes on, I’ll inherit it. Assuming I didn’t already raid her stash and take it.  Note: this is not at all morbid, because she regularly brings it up in conversation, much like my Grama taking us to visit her pre-bought headstone so we could wipe the bird poop off of it.

Anyway, when my MIL bought the pattern, we decided that I would take the pattern because I was more likely to get the project done first, and then somehow we came around to I would make my bag AND her bag. And if the timing was right, it would be for her birthday or Mother’s Day.  I remembered last Wednesday that OH CRAP her birthday is the 20th and I’d need to either 1) buy her a present or 2) make her the bag (especially since we’d be celebrating with her the Saturday before). So I got sewing.

She picked out the fabrics from her stash and sent over the pile to me, and I found some grommets that matched perfectly.

(Sorry for the crappy quality of pictures - I took them late Friday night when I finished it!)

Rather than using interfacing to give it body, all the pieces of the this bag are supposed to be backed with fusible fleece.  As you can imagine, it very soft, but also very bulky. And sort of heavy.  And I didn’t have enough fusible fleece, so I subbed regular cotton batting and fusible web (I’m like one of the crazy commenters on the recipe sites that say “It’s the best recipe EVAR but I changed all the ingredients and made it a dessert instead of a entree!!1!”).  Also, I ended up fusing a cat hair into it (after it came off the cat). It worked out okay, but putting the grommets on through all those layers of fabric was tough and ultimately I had to cut out some of the fused batting around the holes for the grommets to eliminate bulk.

All in all, I love the finished product (I’ll probably love mine more since I will have picked out the fabrics), but the pattern could have been written better to explain the Grommet Dilemma and some of the construction.