FREE bag purse pattern - The Love Basket

So the fabric is my fave-st from Amy Butler's Love range and the bag is a basket shape.  So I HAD to call the bag 'The Love Basket'.  

.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF PATTERN BOOKLET HERE

Please pop your U-Handbag tute/kit/pattern bags in here - I check out this lovely group twice a week, every week :)

Click on the pics to enlarge.
    

If this bag tute looks familiar it's probably because it's based on the first ever bag tutorial I ever wrote. My pattern writing skills have moved on some since then.  Reading through the original pattern is a bit like reading thru my teen diary - a bit cute and a bit misguided!  This bag is an enduring favourite of mine and of yours.  The original has been downloaded close to 16,800 times - thanks! 

In time for summer I have fully updated and improved this tutorial to make it a better bag, and the tutorial easier to use.  Yes there are lots of steps, but none of them are particularly tricky or exotic. You can have this bag made in 2 evenings/afternoons tops.   Loads of my lovely customers have attempted this as a first bag project and were real happy with the results.

The bag is a simple boxy rectangle shape and this makes it a perfect showcase for your more showy, large-scale pattern repeat fabrics.  Seriously, how yum would you look if you were to team this bag with cute red wedges/ballet pumps and jeans?   You just know it's going to turn heads  :)

The bag is firm and crisp to the touch and it can happily stand up by itself  The secret is the Ultra Firm Fusible interfacing - it works a charm for rigid bags and clutches. And importantly all creases and scrunches (made during bag construction) iron out completely.

The bag has a flat bottom and protective bag feet.

The fastening on this bag is improved from the original. This time round we have a much neater inner magnetic snap tab closure.

  Inside view.  Lots of room for your essentials, plus a paper back, water, snacks and a brolly for sudden showers.

You will need:

•    A pair of 7” x 5” (18cm x 13cm) Bamboo Bag Handles with hooks.
•    1/2yrd (50cm) Iron-on medium fusible interfacing
•    1yrd (1m) Ultra Firm fusible interfacing
•    1/2yrd (50cm) Heavy sew-in interlining
•    1 set of magnetic snaps 1 6/8” (19mm)
•    1 set of protective bag feet 6/8” (16mm)
•    1 Medium Grid Bag Bottom
•    1/2 yrd (50cm) lining fabric (I’ve used quilt weight cotton) and matching thread
•    1/2 yrd (50cm) exterior fabric (I’ve used quilt weight cotton) and matching thread
•    Disappearing fabric marker or chalk
•    Pins
• •    A walking foot is also handy to help cope with the layers
  

    I  thought you might like to see the machine I sewed this bag on.  It's Janome's brand spanking new Horizon.  Sadly she's not mine. I'm borrowing her to road test her, but if you don't hear from me for a while it's because I've done a swifty runner with the machine.  Heh!  I'll do blog review soon.

See that lovely basket of flowers?  They're from my Mum & Dad for my 37th birthday which was on the 11th.  Now its nearly a week later I've come to terms with being 37 and I'm finally ready to share that fact with you.  OX!