Sidekick Suitcase: Finished!

Front

I've had my Sidekick Suitcase finished for awhile now.

The Sew Along, in fact was over before Easter and I had gotten ahead of the game with sewing (never happens)

and finished even before that.

But I did get behind on taking pictures and posting them.

So here it is!

Back

Overall, I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

My goal, as I've already said, was just to push myself to try new materials and techniques.

And that's exactly what this project offered me. Success!

Inside

The few problems that I had were to be expected, I suppose.

And, I should definitely mention, had NOTHING to do with the pattern.

The pattern was great.

Clear, concise,

and as a bonus, Jodi was supplying me with tips as I went via her sew along posts.

I wrote in a previous post that I was having some problems with the piping,

and while it's not perfect, I'm happy with the end product.

The game-changer there was figuring out the right foot to use on my machine. It really made all the difference.

My only other issue was all due to my own fabric choice.

I love this corduroy. love. love.

But it was a little too thick to work with once I had to sew through multiple multiple layers.

(especially areas like the handle)

I should have considered that on my first read through of the pattern.

Had I thought that through properly, I probably would have  left the corduroy out and just used my accent fabric (the houndstooth) to do all of the accents.

The only other variance from the pattern was the addition of the appliquéd initial.

I had some extra fabric, so I added the "B" to the front.

I still have plenty of fabric left over to do something else, so I'm thinking about making a little matching luggage tag. :)

One of my favorite things about this bag is that it is just about the perfect size for an overnight or weekend trip to the grandparents' house.

And now Ben's stuff won't get lost in the abyss of everyone else's (my) crap.

If you're already sewing and want a project to push you to the next level, I highly recommend this pattern, and Jodi's blog, for that matter.

The pattern is only $10, and a steal, especially considering all the personal tips she gives.