Purse Palooza :: Pattern Review : Handmade By Mrs. H. Satchel Bag

Hi readers, you may have noticed I wasn’t on the original line up for the reviews, I sort of ambushed the series when it was announced because I had the perfect pattern on hand to try out, so thanks to Sara for letting me do that!

 

This pattern is called The Satchel Bag. One day when browsing around the Sewing Patterns by Mrs H Etsy shop I saw it and knew I had to make one. Sam has been a follower of my blog for a little while and kindly suggested I could have it in exchange for a review- and here it is! Sam’s shop is also an excellent source for all those hard to find bag hardware bits- if you don’t see it there, message her and she will help you source what you need to make any of her patterns. It’s quite a classic style bag, with an optional inside packet in the lining, side tab button details and a top handle which I think is very pretty, but you could actually opt to leave it off if you were unsure about it, just miss those stages in the pattern. I found it came together within a couple of hours, which is great for me as I am quite impatient. It’s the ideal size for all your day to day essentials without it being massive. If your essentials include baby accessories or gym clothes, probably give this one a miss 😉

 

The pattern is marked as intermediate to advanced, but I didn’t think it was all that hard and my experience of making 3D items is limited. The clear instructions make this easy for anyone to follow. I actually made two of these bags. The first one I made had a leather flap so I cut it a bit differently. I actually maintained the original flap size, but cut the lining slightly smaller so I could slowly curl the leather around to the back. I interfaced the lining with fusible fleece and left out the interfacing. I actually found this gave a nice flap size on the finished item, so I would recommend adding a seam allowance to the pattern piece if you are making the pattern the usual way.

My second bag was made without the extra seam allowance added on, so you can see the difference it has made. I made this using QAYG on the main body pieces which meant I used normal wadding instead of fusible fleece. It gives it a lovely sturdy feel that stands up nicely, so I can recommend doing this- it could be a nice way of making the flap too!

 

My advice other than the flap adjustment for this pattern would be to pay attention to seam allowances- because at first I didn’t and I had to unpick! The smaller parts say to use a 1/4″ seam allowance rather than 3/8″ and it really does make a difference (so make sure you read the steps properly and don’t kid yourself that you know everything without being told like I did). I would also advise when making the straps and handle to top stitch the edge that is open first- and then the one with the fold- because you get a lovely, straight flat strap. So in all I’m very happy with this bag- I think I’ll probably make another before the year is up!