I went to SueS’ house last week for an Oxbow work day and finally finished this bag! It wasn’t as terrible a monster as my mind had made it into. I am pleased with the results.
A bunch of us got together to provide support for each other in getting this bag done. SueS was kind enough to host us as her house and that event got me over whatever the hump was that I was fighting. It was really good to be able to ask questions and get clarification. I found a part or two to be confusing and Lynette was a great help. SueS also had her finished Oxbow available so we could look at it and that was also great.
I don’t know why the project became a terrible monster in my head. It wasn’t SueS. It wasn’t the pattern designer, especially since I have made a few Poolside totes in the past. It wasn’t the fact that it was a bag. I think I just got stuck and made it into a monster. I don’t know.
It turned out to have a lot of steps, but nothing I couldn’t handle. There wasn’t anything I hadn’t done before and I was even able to help some of the others.
One of the things I did differently was put some pleather on the bottom of this bag. I don’t remember why I decided to do it, though I am always thinking about keeping bag bottoms clean. I also had the pleather on hand. The construction made it easier because the bottom was a separate piece. In the picture, you can see me adding the bottom to the exterior panels.
Anyway, it turned out really well. I am pleased and am thinking I might make the pattern again.
