Finally a post after period of silence. My sister wanted a cross body purse for daily use. She wanted it to be small but utilitarian. In my search for small but pretty purses I came across the
Phoebe bag. This is a free pattern by Rebeka Lambert. What a beautiful bag and very easy to sew. The instructions were simple with good photographs. I also found a
youtube video Sew Along by Anna Costa. Together this was an easy sew and my sister loved the bag.
The bag has a beautiful shape and uses darts instead of the normal boxing. It has a simple tab closure with a magnetic snap. The original pattern calls for one big pocket. The bag comes with a short single strap.
I made the following changes to the pattern - Added a swivel clip attachment for keys, Outer zip pocket, Two inside slip pocket on both sides divided to two pockets for phone etc. I also increased the strap length to cross body and used D Rings to attach the strap. An iPad mini fits in nicely.
 |
| Swivel Clip |
 |
| Outside Zip Pocket |
For the outer body I used a flower print quilting cotton, the lining is a matching beige recovered from an old sheet. Fusible fleece is the stabilizer as my sister wanted it to be soft but not stiff.
All in all the bag was an easy sew. If someone wants to try their hand at bag making this will be a good place to start. Anna Costa's sew along video has some very good tips - make the lining a little smaller than the outer bag, snip off the excess fabric from the darts, baste the straps and the tab closure before attaching the lining, clipping the curves, top stitching etc. I think these tips really made my bag look professional.
 |
| My sister with the bag |
