Melly & me Sunshine Bag

A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month.  Do people still do this?

Anyway, I did say last Friday that I had to sew up a quick birthday gift by Sunday, well, this is it – a Melly & me Sunshine Bag.   I did finish it Sunday night but it hasn’t been gifted yet.  So want a look see?

It started with this – my first fat quarters I purchased from my first Craft & Quilt Fair in 2007.  I didn’t even know what a fat quarter was back then.

The buttons and simple running stitches add more detail to the front of the bag.

More running stitches, this time on the back of the bag – simple but effective.  I’m going to try this with some of my other projects.

Hopefully the recipient will remember who gave them the gift.

Voila, a fold-over bag that ties up to close.  The two accent pieces were hand appliqued (supposedly with the needle turn method) – could have sewn it faster by machine but I think that would have ruin the look of the bag.

Notice the cute button detail on the shoulder straps – also serves to strengthen the straps and hide my uneven box stitch.

This was a fun bag to make although it took a bit longer than expected, but hey, the appliqueing was worth it.  It also meant I could sit in front of the TV watching tennis/soccer/formula 1 (of course if I had the remote, I would be watching something else instead).  I would probably make it bigger next time and the straps a bit longer – messenger bag style.  By the way, check out Melly & me for more great patterns and embroidery tutorials.

Edited to add:  Interested in sewing your own fold-over bag?  Why not try the tutorial from Noodlehead.  Anna uses grommets in her straps and don’t you just love that Ikea fabric? Or how about this one from Prudent Baby?  This one has a zipper closure and the pleats add a nice touch, don’t you think?