Here’s something a little different today. Last year, I attended a presentation on bag-making given by the founder of Blue Calla, and bought one of her kits. It’s the Foxtail Cross Body Sling.

Here’s the pattern for the bag on the Blue Calla website. (Clicking on the picture will also take you to this page.)

I don’t see any kits on the site now, but I do recommend a kit for your first bag. It’s a good way to make sure you have all the parts, especially the hardware.

And here’s my Foxtail:

I’m really pleased with how well it came out, and it wasn’t very difficult. I really like that fabric, too. (The inside is an abstract print from the same line, with a light background, just the thing for a bag interior.) The instructions were clear, though I had to read them through a couple of times – since bagmaking is comparatively new to me, I tended to overthink it all. I should have just done what I was told and not worried about it. 🙂

The only thing I had to redo was the strap – I put it on upside down the first time, so had to unpick the stitching at the one end to redo it. That actually makes sense, since I routinely attach bra straps upside down. This is a similar technique, with a loop so that the strap length can be modified.

One thing I didn’t consider was which way I sling a crossbody bag. I always put the strap over my left shoulder, as shown in this pic of the bag from Blue Calla’s site. But this means that all the zipper tabs are at the left and the compartment along the left side is a little tough to reach.

Now, imagine the bag is slung over the right shoulder. It would tip to the right then, and all the zipper tabs would be front and center.

I think I’m going to make a second one that’s the mirror image of this one that I’ve made. That way, when I put the strap over my left shoulder, all the zipper tabs will be readily accessible. This one, I’ll wear over the right shoulder.

One thing about making bags is that it’s addictive. I had started a bag years ago and wasn’t sure I had all the right pieces so put it aside. I’ve dug that one back out to finish it up, and ordered all the parts (I hope) to make a different Blue Calla bag. They also offer a free pattern, the Clematis Wristlet, and I’m going to try that one, too. Oh, there are some kits available for that one, right here.

Have you ever made a bag or a purse?