High Street Messenger Bag - part 1

I'm excited about a sewing project!!! A couple of months ago I fell in love with Amy Butler Designs after seeing this post from a finnish girl who calls herself Pikku Kettu. Amy's bag designs and her fabrics are just too cool for words...

After a lot of thinking, drooling and rethinking I ordered one of her patterns last week; The High Street Messenger Bag. I chose not to order any fabric as I thought I could find great looking fabric here at home for a bit less money. I found fabric I love, but to be honest, I don't know if it ended up being cheaper... I splurged. And this will be one of the most expensive bags I've ever had (my enormous Samsonite suit case costed more). And I have to make it myself...

I have gotten myself fabric for the exterior and for the lining and also some sticky stuff to iron on the exterior fabric as interface. I have thread. And I have three zippers. I got some really thick "jute-stuff" to put in the strap to make it more durable and strong, but I don't know if I'll end up using it. Might get to thick and too bulky where it attaches. We'll see.

I started cutting out pieces yesterday. This bag has a loooot of pieces. Some people say that sewing is an instant gratification (as opposed to knitting) but I don't know if I agree on that. Or maybe I do, when I end up starting the sewing machine, but up until then it all takes forever. It took me almost two hours to cut out the exterior pieces. Ten of them. I still have the lining left (more than ten pieces) and the interface. And the latter should be cut out smaller than the rest of the pieces so I don't get as much bulk in the seams. That'll take me a bit longer as the pieces in themselves have seam allowence included.

But I'm really excited about this! I can't wait to get home to cut out the rest of the pieces. I hope to be able to start the sewing process this weekend. So far we have nothing special planned which is just fine by me. I can keep myself busy!

Pictures of the fabric pieces and the zippers (one black, one bright yellow and one bright pink!) when all the pre-work is done!