Every good collection has at least one accessory -- for Project Run & Play it's The Reversible Sling Bag from Sugar Bee Crafts.
This was a fun project to put together. After a few false starts I finally hit my groove with a zebra-stripe flocked taffeta, a baby bubbles crochet stitch, a home-dec fabric (from Walmart of all places), that shiny coral from the shoelaces, and the original hounds-tooth flannel. That's a lot for one piece, but it works; it compliments each outfit in the collection thus far.
As soon as I saw the pattern I knew I wanted to add some texture into the piece. Crochet gave me the texture I was looking for and the opportunity to bring back the blue from January's solution. The zebra stripes pick up on the black & white theme running through all my solutions, with an added nod to the "Wild Things" theme of the current Kids Clothes Week. The coral is quickly becoming my favorite color to work with -- and to think, The Peanut picked those tights for January's solution when I would have chosen a different pair. I confess to preferring the coral side of the bag over the crocheted zebra side.
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| Loving the corals in various textures from various sources working so well together. |
As soon as I saw the pattern I knew I wanted to add some texture into the piece. Crochet gave me the texture I was looking for and the opportunity to bring back the blue from January's solution. The zebra stripes pick up on the black & white theme running through all my solutions, with an added nod to the "Wild Things" theme of the current Kids Clothes Week. The coral is quickly becoming my favorite color to work with -- and to think, The Peanut picked those tights for January's solution when I would have chosen a different pair. I confess to preferring the coral side of the bag over the crocheted zebra side.
I didn't stray too far from the original bag pattern. The two biggest changes here are the addition of center flap and the buttons creating an adjustable-length strap. That center flap does not close with buttons, snaps, or velcro. Rather, it hangs in place with weights -- fishing sinkers to be specific -- easily opened by little hands while still being worn across the body.
As it's sewn now, the strap can be buttoned to two different lengths, and of course, the buttons can also be moved in the future. It can also be unbuttoned and tied shorter to be worn over one shoulder instead of across the body. I love how the tied view plays on the Tri-Knot Knit Top of March's Solution.
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| First ever fabric covered buttons. True story. And look! There's that hounds-tooth. |
As it's sewn now, the strap can be buttoned to two different lengths, and of course, the buttons can also be moved in the future. It can also be unbuttoned and tied shorter to be worn over one shoulder instead of across the body. I love how the tied view plays on the Tri-Knot Knit Top of March's Solution.
Pattern
The Reversible Sling Bag from Sugar Bee Crafts, modified
Fabric
Zebra Stripe: Flocked Taffeta (Walmart); Flat coral: Textured Coral Home Dec (Walmart); Shiny Coral: Polyester remnant (Joann's Fabric); Hounds-tooth: Flannel labeled simply "Brushed Plaid" (Walmart)
Note
I didn't use any interfacing, relying on the home dec and taffeta to do the work. Eh. I probably should have included it for better shape. Sometimes the directions are there for a reason.
Love
I love that the black & white here leans more towards white, compared to the previous B&W fabrics. It makes a nice contrast. Also, I had fun adding crochet into a sewn project for the first time; you can expect more of that moving forward.
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| The lining is hand stitched to the crochet, but that zebra stripe is machine sewn. |
Be sure to check out my entire Project Run & Play Collection so far! And remember you can always click Collection 2015 on the blog to watch it grow each month.
Ren Murphy writes for The Inspired Wren.
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