Native Colour Bag Construction

substitute fabric

 bag in Inspirations 73

I needed a bit of thinking and stash examination time before I could complete the Native Colour bag project. The kit for this came with a substitute fabric. There's nothing wrong with that, but I didn't like the match. The original was pinks and browns and the substitute was green. I thought it needed a bit of red.

Ink&Spindle flowering gum

 I have quite a few pieces of cotton fabric with native flowers on them, but they were a bit overwhelming. I settled, in the end, for a piece of linen from Ink & Spindle - their 'flowering gum in red, orange and stone'.

I took my time and measured as carefully as I could. The construction was then fairly straightforward. Both the osnaberg and the linen were good to work with, once I got my head around the idea of the construction.

Bag from Stitching Escapes 2007

I got one thing wrong towards the end. I didn't understand the reason for loops at the top of the bag and attached them to the outside of the bag rather than the inside. This is the first time I have used plastic boning in the binding at the top of a bag and I assumed the tabs were to hold, or hang the bag, but they are clearly to hold something secure inside, like scissors. I found a webpage for a class Bev Stayner had run in 2007 that showed the loops more clearly - but only after I had finished! Interestingly it shows the loops in the contrast colour, and also shows the tab placed to catch at the front. These variations and reasons for design elements are the things you pick up easily when learning from a teacher and less easily from a magazine.

It's a lovely design. The original fabric gives a great look, but the Ink & Spindle linen has a lovely feel and quite a good look. I learned a lot from this project and I hope to get good use out of my very sturdy, adapted bag.