I bought the pattern, hardware kit, fabric, battings and stabilizers for this bag a couple of months ago. I finally got around to making it last week.
The Metro Slouch
The pattern is by Lila Tueller Designs
My friend Stephanie made one of these back in April. Click here to see her bag and read her review of the pattern. She did a great review of the pattern and provided some tips (some I wish I had followed)!
This is the most professional looking bag pattern I have ever attempted. The hardware list is quite extensive and I recommend ordering the kit so all your hardware matches. I ordered the pattern and hardware kit together from an Etsy seller. She doesn't have any more hardware kits at the moment or I'd link to her store for you. Ordering information for the hardware kit is available on the pattern though. You just need to contact the designer and you can do that through her blog, Lila Tueller Designs.
The inside of the bag has 5 pockets, three on one side and two on the other.
The flap attaches in the back with Dungaree Buttons.
These are tricky to line up properly. I didn't get them measured out quite right and the flap is puckered a bit as a result. C'est la vie!
I did have some trouble with one of the dungaree buttons. My husband was admiring my bag and it broke. He wasn't handling it rough or anything. These buttons are two pieces, a tack and the button (the two pieces on the packaging in the photo below).
As you can see on the right in the photo above, the head of the tack broke off while the point stayed in the button. Does anybody know what I did wrong? Did I hit it too hard with the hammer putting it in? Or is this one just defective? I've never used dungaree buttons before. I do like the look of them for this bag though. I just bought another set and replaced the broken one. The pattern does give alternate directions for using regular buttons to attach the flap. If these dungaree buttons keep breaking I'll do that instead.
The bag has one pocket on the outside for your phone or a water bottle. You could easily put another pocket on the other side. However, the pattern does not tell you in the materials list that you need a 4.5" piece of 1/4" elastic for the pocket. If you plan to do two pockets you'll need 9" of 1/4" wide elastic.
This bag even has feet!
Overall I'm really happy with my bag. The pattern was well written with plenty of well-labeled diagrams. It's not an inexpensive bag to make though, nor is it what I would call a quick and easy beginner pattern. I do not recommend you try this pattern for your first bag unless you have someone you can call for help with the tricky parts. You need to take your time with this one, read the directions thoroughly and don't rush yourself with it. A walking foot really helps too!
The Metro Slouch
The pattern is by Lila Tueller Designs
My friend Stephanie made one of these back in April. Click here to see her bag and read her review of the pattern. She did a great review of the pattern and provided some tips (some I wish I had followed)!
This is the most professional looking bag pattern I have ever attempted. The hardware list is quite extensive and I recommend ordering the kit so all your hardware matches. I ordered the pattern and hardware kit together from an Etsy seller. She doesn't have any more hardware kits at the moment or I'd link to her store for you. Ordering information for the hardware kit is available on the pattern though. You just need to contact the designer and you can do that through her blog, Lila Tueller Designs.
The inside of the bag has 5 pockets, three on one side and two on the other.
The flap attaches in the back with Dungaree Buttons.
These are tricky to line up properly. I didn't get them measured out quite right and the flap is puckered a bit as a result. C'est la vie!
I did have some trouble with one of the dungaree buttons. My husband was admiring my bag and it broke. He wasn't handling it rough or anything. These buttons are two pieces, a tack and the button (the two pieces on the packaging in the photo below).
As you can see on the right in the photo above, the head of the tack broke off while the point stayed in the button. Does anybody know what I did wrong? Did I hit it too hard with the hammer putting it in? Or is this one just defective? I've never used dungaree buttons before. I do like the look of them for this bag though. I just bought another set and replaced the broken one. The pattern does give alternate directions for using regular buttons to attach the flap. If these dungaree buttons keep breaking I'll do that instead.
The bag has one pocket on the outside for your phone or a water bottle. You could easily put another pocket on the other side. However, the pattern does not tell you in the materials list that you need a 4.5" piece of 1/4" elastic for the pocket. If you plan to do two pockets you'll need 9" of 1/4" wide elastic.
This bag even has feet!
Overall I'm really happy with my bag. The pattern was well written with plenty of well-labeled diagrams. It's not an inexpensive bag to make though, nor is it what I would call a quick and easy beginner pattern. I do not recommend you try this pattern for your first bag unless you have someone you can call for help with the tricky parts. You need to take your time with this one, read the directions thoroughly and don't rush yourself with it. A walking foot really helps too!
1 comment:
Lynn, your bag turned out just great! I found the dungaree buttons a little tricky, too. I bet you hit it too hard. I found you really just needed to tap them lightly to get them to catch. Remember, I banged one so hard the post started coming through the other side? I hope that one doesn't break off. I noticed the lack of elastic in the list of supplies, too. And you're right, this is not a cheap bag to make, but the results are so professional and worth it. I just made another bag with the liner material By Annie. I'll blog it soon. In my review of it, I'll be saying that if I made this bag again, I'd probably use that stuff as my stiffener/batting. Great job on this!
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