so, you remember this bag...
my sweet sister got it in the mail today. along with
these... and one more thing that i will have her take a picture of... i forgot. you will love it, she does.
it is the Amy Butler High Street Messenger Bag.
so i have an honest question. this is the 5th pattern of Amy Butlers that i have made. they are not getting ANY easier for me to understand. have any of you had similar feelings? because, it honestly almost killed me. those zippers, the directions that made no sense, the directions that i had to read over and over and over again, the millions of pieces to cut out that amazingly i ended up with pieces not used. i still don't know if that was my fault or hers.
this zipper... oh my, this zipper almost did me in! i won't go into detail but when i screwed it up there was a lot of "earmuffs" going on and it was only fixed because of
youtube, thank you debra! But even with all of the difficulty i have had with amy's patterns i STILL want to make myself one of
these... oh so bad! the weekender... i just might have to have someone hold my hand as i do it. or read and explain the directions to me step by step... (totally had the "new kids on the block" song in my head as i typed that,
♫♫step by step... oooh baby
♫♫)
i am very happy to report that she loves it. i love that she loves it. sorry that it took me FOREVER to make it for you beck! i really do love you and am so happy you are my sister! you are my fave!
xx nicke
gorgeous bag!! and I totally agree...her patterns are unbelievably confusing. All of her projects are awesome, but make people run scared when they read the patterns! BTW, love your new blog layout :o)
ReplyDeleteYou have a lucky sister, the bag is lovely!
ReplyDeleteI've only ever tried one Amy Butler bag which was the frenchy bag. It was the first time I had made a bag following a proper pattern thing and I didn't find it too bad (I don't think, it was a while ago perhaps I am blocking out painful memories lol!) Then again I think that counts as an easy pattern! I too would love to make a weekender bag, but as everyone finds it so problematic I don't think I would manage it!
Ohhh Nicke its turned out really gorgeous! Dont know if I'm qualified to comment on Amys patterns - I've got a couple and havent used them cos the quantity of pieces and fiddly bits just makes me think I wont be able to do them. Shame, they are such gorgeous bags. Try Lisa Lam, her patterns are simple and her bags are really fab too :-)
ReplyDeleteHmm, I've been able to follow all her patterns without problems or leftovers, but what kills me is all the frigging pieces! I lost count on the Blossom bag, but I kept turning pages and finding MORE! They aren't overly endowed with diagrams, certainly not in her book, so perhaps you need to work up with a few dozen other diagrammed patterns first :o/ These bags certainly exercise my vocabulary anyway...
ReplyDeleteIt's really cute- of course she loves it!
ReplyDeleteI've not tried any AB patterns yet myself but I know there are lots of posts about details on the weekender. A bunch of people made them for the Sewing Summit and posted about them with different tips and things they changed. If you go to the Sewing Summit group on Flickr or Travel Handmade, I think you can find links to their posts with their thoughts. :)
At any rate, that bag looks awesome!
lol, that's how I feel every time I read a pattern! are bags generally tricky, or is the trickiness in these patterns because of the particular designs? If I was trying to make a bag with a simpler visual appearance would I likely find it easier to follow? Just curious because I'd like to give making a bag a go at some point! ... after I've attempted coasters, flowers and table runners :)
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteI have yet to try a AB pattern and I am not sure I want to :/ That is one beautiful bag!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just bought everything for the Weekender (with my discount almost 60$). I am going to rely heavily on my coworkers for this one
ReplyDeleteAwesome messanger bag!
You made a completely stunning bag!!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen an AB pattern in the flesh, but from all the blogs I follow, I don't think I have ever read anyone thinking they were easy or straightforward - so it isn't just 'you'!
I suggest you try another pattern writer. That will tell you if it you or if it just the way she writes. There are some people who I can't follow.
ReplyDeletemy opinion is that AB bags generally are very detailed and come out looking professional, so they tend to be more complicated than your run of the mill tote bag. i don't find them difficult per se, just time consuming. i think you have to be in the right mood to attempt it. and get ready to use 8000 yards of interfacing.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I know that you kind of want to kill this bag....but holy crap, it's gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazingly gorgeous!! And where was that fabric when I was desperately searching for something for my pretty valances? I ended up using a Pottery Barn shower curtain, that looks so much like this fabric (but I think I like this fabric a little better, dangit). And as far as the patterns go, I wouldn't know. I can't sew. I've tried. It's not meant to be.
ReplyDeleteIt looks awesome, Nicke! I've only sewn an AB skirt pattern, no bags yet. I would recommend checking out some recent Weekender posts from people like Darci (Stitches and Scissors) and ilikeorange. They came up with some great shortcuts!
ReplyDeleteIt is a great bag Nicke! What a lucky sister. I have done a few of Amy's bags...her instructions are very detailed so I find they take a few reads. I did the Weekender several years ago and I didn't have any problem with it, although it did get a bit bulky. Often I will substitute duck cloth for the very heavy stabilizer. That Peltex is difficult to sew through. You did a fantastic job on the bag!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Bag! I tend to lean towards other designers. Especially when it comes to totes and bags. There are so many cute patterns out there and most I feel are generally easier to follow than Amy Butler patterns and still get professional results.
ReplyDeleteOh sweet mercy! That is a gorgeous bag!! What a lucky sister you have. :o)
ReplyDeleteQuite honestly, bags scare me as much as garments do, so I have not made one. However on amylouwho the other day, she said that interfacing was her secret to a great bag. (here is her post link: http://www.amylouwhosews.com/2011/10/amylouwho-my-super-secret-bag-making.html) This is one of those things that I think I would really need to sit down with someone and learn by watching. :o)
I'm new to your blog, but I had to stop and stay that Amy's patterns are very difficult to understand. I've only made a couple of them, but now I stare at the thinking they are so cute, but generally decide not to buy them because I'm nit up for the stressful experience. It's not that the sewing they involve is difficult, it's definitely the way they are written. But, your bag turned out beautifully! I love it and I absolutely love the print you chose for the exterior! Darling!
ReplyDelete