Sewing might be the PERFECT summer craft

I am becoming braver in my sewing! I recently picked up a copy of Haute Handbags by Stampington, and fell in love with 2 small details of one of the projects in the bag. 1. That lobster clasp hanging on the outside of the bag. And 2. The adjustable strap. 

 So I headed over to Joann's and $35 later, because I can't seem to go in that store without spending over $30 at a time, came out with 3 different color straps, some hardware for the adjustable strap, a lobster clasp  and some extra sewing machine needles, (just in case).

The overall design of the bag was my own, no pattern needed. I picked out a few exterior fabrics, 2 Home decor heavy weight cottons, and picked out an interior lining color. Which is just a quilting cotton, navy and white cross hatch pattern.

 

I am not sure why i made the bag so long, I think I was thinking in my head that I would box up the bottom and I wanted to have enough fabric to do so, but then when I did the boxed bottom,  it didn't require as much fabric as I initially thought. So it's a bit longer. To combat that, i made the lining fabric interior, shorter by about 2-3 inches. So in order to dig for your wallet, it's within arms reach- you don't have to reach too far to get at it. 

One challenge was the woven strap- unraveling. I was wishing I had some electrical tape but not sure if that's a good way to finish off ends.... I added some super glue to the edges of the strap and am wondering how it will hold up.

 

Overall, I am impressed that with the little knowledge that I have so far in bag making, I was able to figure out how to construct the bag with the lining and I couldn't be more pleased with the finished result.

Have you dug out your sewing machine yet??