This year my mom's birthday fell on Mother's Day, as it does every so often. I didn't have any exciting ideas for her, so when she asked if I could make her a purse like mine, of course I said yes! And then... work got busy (I had deadlines and my very first intern!), there was Thurlow shorts drama, and I was caught up in sewing class homework, and a full month went by before I even got started on the purse. :/
The preparation took the most time by far - picking out and ordering contrast + lining fabrics online, and then going to the fabric store to find exterior fabric and a zipper to match. And of course, cutting out all the pieces (seriously, so many!). Fortunately, I had extra interfacing and magnetic snaps left over from the first one I made. Once I got everything ready to go, I kind of breezed through the construction in a weekend morning or two, and it felt super fast this time around.
I took some of the things I'd learned with mine and incorporated them into my mom's purse, and I feel like hers is much sturdier and more professional than mine. I used a much heavier fabric for the exterior, which makes the bag feel less flimsy and also works better on the strap. I got better hardware (no d-rings!) and a strap slider, all from Britex in downtown SF, so there are none of the weird strap issues mine has.
I'm really happy with my fabric choices for this one. My mom wanted something dark and not too flashy, but I still wanted to give some interest with contrast panels, so I found this pretty abstract mountain fabric by Art Gallery Fabrics. My mom has always loved butterflies, but they felt like too much for the exterior, so they make up the lining. And the navy exterior is a sturdy mystery apparel fabric from the Fabric Outlet I go to in the Mission in SF.
I sent this to my mom in mid-July, and she seems to love it :D I don't often selfless sew, but it warms my heart when I do get around to it. Happy (very late) birthday, mom!!
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