Mabel Messenger Bag

I made several of these bags for myself at the beginning of the year, but I am getting ready to revisit this pattern for some Christmas gifts, so I thought I would do a little write-up on it now.

I got this pattern delivered conveniently to my e-mail by purchasing it on Etsy from Jenna Lou Designs. I just love her bags and wallets, and she has great taste when it comes to fabric.

Description from the pattern – Mabel is a very versatile bag. Her strap shortens to become the perfect professional bag for work, school, or everyday…. or lengthens all the way out for a messenger style so you can go hands free. Closes with a magnetic snap and is fully lined. This is a great afternoon project that will leave you smiling with it’s quick professional results. Learn to make a lined zipper pocket and adjustable strap.

Fabrics – I made 3 different bags as soon as I got the pattern, two with Echino fabrics and one with a Japanese import (the green with animals). The pattern called for 3/4 yard for the outside of the bag and 1/2 yard for the inside of the bag, as well as several interfacings to make the bag stiff. For one of the bags I made, I only had 1/2 yard of fabric, so I just made the straps out of a different fabric and it worked out just fine.

Illustrations – There were actually several photos for each step. The photos were also labeled to correspond to the step, so it was crystal clear what I was supposed to do.

Pattern Pieces – There were only 2 pattern pieces to print and cut out (one of the pieces was printed on 2 sheets, so it just needed to be taped together before cutting). The straps and pocket were just rectangles that needed to be measured out. Again, I love paper pattern pieces!

I just love the simple yet stylish design of this bag. I feel like it allows the fabric to be the focus, which is really what I want anyway since I spend so much time looking for fabric online. Simple = easy to sew.

This bag has gussets on the bottom, and if you have never sewn a gusset before, this is a great explanation on how to do it. I remember learning how to sew a gusset from an Amy Butler bag pattern, and her explanations were so wordy that I was really confused; but Jenna Lou’s instructions were a breeze to follow.

The pattern calls for a zippered pocket, but I put 2 pockets in each of my bags (I just like having extra room for storing things), one on each side. I messed up the pocket on the first try by sewing it closed, so just give yourself plenty of mental time to lay your fabrics out and visualize what you’re going to do before you start sewing, or perhaps look up a tutorial on the internet for sewing a zippered pocket to give you a little back-up. Or, if you’re not into zippers, I suppose you could sew a pocket onto the interior or just skip the pocket altogether.

As I mentioned earlier, the pattern calls for two different interfacings in order to make the bag stiffer. The first two bags both had a canvas exterior, so I thought that I might just use a fusible fleece to back the exterior. These bags ended up being slouchy hobo bags (which is actually okay, they still look and work fine), but when I made the third bag with the Pellon Peltex as this pattern actually called for, I found that I liked the look and feel of the stiff bag much better. The bag holds its shape even with a lot of heavy things inside. I’ll admit I was sweating for a little sewing over all that interfacing, but I didn’t break a needle or anything.

The first Mabel bag I made using Echino bird ball brick…wish I had more of this fabric 🙂

Echino grassy plain raspberry fabric. This is the one that I only had 1/2 yard of, but I think it still looks great with the strap that matches the interior fabric!

The inside of the bag…and the zippered pockets.

One last helpful nugget about this sewing pattern…I tried a couple different sewing/craft stores looking for the purse hardware that is required for the adjustable straps (which I love). If you just visit Jenna Lou’s shop, you can save yourself the trip and the headache.

Conclusion – The pattern designer notes this as a pattern for the intermediate beginner, and I would have to agree. This is a great pattern, an easy project, and a purse that I know I will be sewing over and over and over again (yes, I do have that Echino scooter fabric in the top picture, I am saving it to make another bag haha!).