The Driftwood Handbag
My friend Carissa of Needle & Anchor Designs recently invited me to help test her newest handbag design. Carissa’s designs are always so interesting and so well thought out so I was beyond honored. To get a chance to be one of the first to make her design, as well as to help work out the kinks, was a great experience!
The finished bag measures about 13″(w) x12″(h) x5.5″(d), which is a great size for a small everyday bag. It had plenty of room left over after tucking in my Happy Planner, my wallet, my keys, and the small pouch of personal items I keep on me at all times. It can be made with just the handles, or with an optional shoulder strap – in addition to or instead of the handles.
The pattern is designed for heavier, high-end materials. Leather, faux-leather, cork, or waxed canvas would all work great for the outer of this bag. The side insert is a great place to add some contrast with a pop of color or print. Inside, you can stick with a fun cotton print, or use your favorite color waterproof canvas for extra stability.
The finished result is great, as always. Your choice of materials paired with the unique side accent pieces, combine to make a handbag that is classy and sophisticated, or fun and playful.
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Making the Driftwood Handbag
This bag is meant to be a high-end-looking bag and works well with leather or faux-leather outers. However, my machine is a Janome domestic quilting machine. The thought of ruining my bag in the final top-stitch had me a little nervous, so I opted to use canvas and cotton for mine. For my first go at the bag, I used Pellon Craft Fuse to add a little structure to the canvas exterior. When I make this bag again, I’m likely to use foam instead. The Craft Fuse did add some structure, but I think I’d like the bag a little less floppy in the end.
The bag itself is fairly easy to assemble, and would be a perfect weekend project. After cutting and prepping my fabrics, it took me about 4 or 5 hours to assemble the first time through – and that’s including all the disruptions that come along with having a preschooler in the house!
While the bag is fairly easy enough to assemble, this pattern is probably more of an intermediate-level pattern (or maybe an ambitious beginner), strictly due to the finishing and the materials used. There are a few places where the top-stitching is a bit tricky – but manageable.
You’ll want to be sure that you are comfortable working with the following
- working with your machine
- installing zippers (especially zipper-by-the-yard) and rivets (by hand or with a table press
- sewing around curves
- top-stitching through thicker layers and around curves
- using higher end materials, or knowledgeable enough to make good choices if you’re going to substitute for materials that may be easier for your machine to work with
Learn Something New
This was my first time making a bag with hidden strap anchors. The method Carissa uses in this pattern made it a breeze. Even though I was using a canvas for the outer, I had no issues with this feature, which adds an upscale factor to the bag. I’ll certainly be adding this to my bag making toolkit.
Another feature of the pattern I enjoyed is the accent trim around the interior zipper pocket. This is something I’ve seen on other bags, but not something I’ve used in patterns before. This design is great for materials like cork or vinyl, where you can have an exposed raw edge. I had to make some tweaks in order to make it work with my material choices (while listening to Tim Gunn chagnint “make it work” in my head the whole time), but I’m glad I spent the extra time doing so. It gives a really crisp look to the welt zipper – which so often ends up with puckers at the corners on other bags I’ve made.
Even if you’ve already got a ton of handbags in your pattern collection, don’t sleep on the Driftwood Handbag. You may find new ways of doing things you’ve done before that you prefer to the old way. You may learn techniques you’ve never used before that you want to start hacking into some of your old patterns. But you’re definitely going to end up with a unique pattern that’s sure to win compliments every time you make something with it!
Unique side contrast pieces add stability and visual interest
You’ve got options – traditional handbag, crossbody strap, or both!
Plenty of room inside to carry the day’s necessities
Want to know more?
Check out the Needle & Anchor Facebook Group for discounts and tips & tricks for this and other Needle & Anchor bags & patterns