This post is part of Purse Palooza 2013.
For full schedule of guest post pattern reviews and prizes, click here!
Lindsay is the guest poster today. Lindsay is the author of Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds. I will have the immense honor of reviewing Lindsay’s new book, Modern Bee – 13 Quilts to Make with Friends next week!
Hello! My name is Lindsay and I blog at Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds. I also recently released a quilting book with Stash Books called Modern Bee—13 Quilts to Make with Friends. You can read more about it here!
I am so excited to be sharing my review of the Sew Sweetness Aragon Bag for Purse Palooza 2013! A little back story on this awesome bag. Several months ago when Sara was putting this event together, she asked if I wanted to be a part. I told her I’d love to sew a diaper bag (my husband and I are expecting our first this winter), and I asked if she knew of a good pattern I could use.
Sara told me that she’d love to write a diaper bag pattern for me (what?!) and she said she could customize it to include some things that I liked. Seriously?? Those of you who know Sara know that she’s not only incredibly talented, but she’s also one of the most generous people . . . this is just one example of her awesomeness at work! Sara, I’m sorry to brag about you on your own blog, but I just can’t help it. 🙂
I accepted Sara’s offer and immediately stopped what I was doing to look at every diaper bag on the Internet. Knowing very little about babies, I tried to figure out what features I’d find most helpful and necessary in a diaper bag, and then sent her a few ideas of things I liked (bunchy, elastic side pockets being one of them).
Difficulty Level: The Aragon Bag is an advanced bag sewing pattern. I cut out all the pieces one evening and sewed together the bag over several hours one night, plus a few hours the next day assembling the sides.
Modifications: In case you can’t tell, my bag is a little more boxy than Sara’s, which is because I ran into a little issue assembling the sides and bottom panel. To fix this, I trimmed the bottom panel a little shorter, which made the shape less triangular. Lesson learned: Follow all of the directions and try not to skip ahead, even if you think you know what you are doing. 🙂
Fabric/Supplies: The supplies needed for this bag are listed in Sara’s shop. Aside from buying three zippers, elastic and some interfacing, I was able to make this bag with fabric and notions I already had in my stash. Instead of using Annie’s Soft and Stable™, I stabilized the bag panels with a mixture of leftover quilt batting scraps, cut to size, and some Pellon 808 Craft-Fuse for sturdiness. I think it handled pretty well, but this could also be a reason why my bag turned out a slightly different shape.
Illustrations and Instructions: The Aragon Bag, like all Sew Sweetness patterns, comes with step-by-step photos and helpful tips along the way. I definitely appreciated this, and referred back to them all the time to make sure I was on track. There was one point when I realized I had misread something (basting the inside and outside fabrics together, when they should have been left separate), but this was clearly part of the pattern. Oops! I took the lazy way out and tried to still make it work, which could be another reason for the boxy shape of my bag.
The Aragon Bag not only makes a great diaper bag because of the four exterior and five interior pockets, but it would also make a great travel bag or everyday bag if you just happen to carry a lot of stuff.
On a side note, did you know that when you register at Target, you get this cute little welcome pack with a bottle, two diapers (those will last a couple seconds…hah!) and baby coupons? I kind of want to go register again. 🙂
What I loved most about making this bag was that I learned SO many new techniques! If you are afraid of sewing inset zippers, you’ll be a master by the end, because you get to sew three of them. I’ve also never sewn elastic pockets, and I have to say that this was my favorite part. There are six elastic pockets in all, and they will be perfect for storing baby bottles, snacks and other odds and ends. They are incredibly cute!
And… This is me enjoying my Aragon Bag! I used Anna Maria Horner Field Study for the exterior fabric and Amy Butler Cameo for the purse straps and interior fabric. I’m SO happy with how this turned out, and I even got to use some fabrics that aren’t too girly for toting around baby boy clothes.
If you are looking for an advanced bag pattern and like a good sewing challenge, I’d definitely recommend the Aragon Bag!
Awesome job Lindsay!! I LOVE the fabrics you used and the bag looks fabulous;). Clearly, you and Sara make a good combo!
Haha, thanks Erin! 🙂
I love this bag!!! The fabrics and colurs are so cool!
what a great bag, I must try it! so many patterns, but not enough time 🙂
I stikll think I will make the bag and use those pockets for my bottle of water. I really like the size. Great review Lindsay. And congrats on the baby on board. 🙂
How cool is that! Congrats on the pregnancy.
Congratulations on the baby! Love the bag, and the fabric you picked out!!
Your fabrics are sweet! Thank you so much for reviewing this pattern. Like you, I love love love Sara’s patterns! They are soooo clear and unmistakably precise. It’s very helpful to a dummy like me. I love all the photos and really require them to sew anything! I say praise Sa on her own blog as much as you want! She really deserves it!
Great review. Love the fabrics you used for your bag. Very nice!