PPC17: The Sling Along Pattern Cover Revealed

So…

in our last post we had a little fun letting YOU be the designer and choosing which of our bag samples YOU would choose to grace the pattern cover for our 2nd new design for 2018, the Sling Along. Thanks SO much to everyone who participated! Pattern design can be rather solitary work and I always enjoy hearing the logic behind which bag my customers would choose. But as much as I enjoy these interactions, this really isn’t a democratic process and in my estimation I have good reasons for having chose the bag I have for our pattern cover. Sometimes I agree with the majority of you, but sometimes I don’t. I’ll share these details below, but right now…

it’s time for the BIG reveal!

Pictured below is the actual pattern cover for the Sling Along!

And now… let me tell you why I chose THIS sample
over all the others for our cover!

That ol’ Travelin’ Bone

So this bag was what I considered at the time to be the first true sample of the Sling Along design, but here’s the thing, as it turned out… it really WASN’T!

You see, just after the “Southwest” sample (below) I decided to shorten the tab area (located  behind the side-release buckle at the top of the bag). And as is my practice, this difference is enough to technically disqualify this bag from cover status.

Quite honestly though, this bag probably wouldn’t have gotten the honor anyway, because although I like it, I just don’t find it compelling enough to be on the cover, so it’s OUT!

A Taste of the Southwest

I bought the “Aztec-flavored” fabric deliberately because it was a departure from our norm and also I liked it immediately.

I wasn’t however too crazy about the grey fabric I had chosen to go with it when it arrived in the mail. It has a linen look to it which I like but it felt flimsy and cheap.

It made up beautifully though and our red zips look awesome with it. Additionally it photographed like a dream and may have actually made it onto the cover except for the aforementioned long tab at the top of the bag, which somehow looks even LONGER than it really is due to the vertical stripes I guess!

I love it, but for this reason, it’s OUT!

Wild & UncorkedAs mentioned in the blog post I had serious doubts about this combination of fabrics when it arrived, particularly the grey cork look-a-like contrast. But I gotta say, when it was done I was sold. I thought it was interesting & dramatic in a understated kind of way so when it received a tepid reception when I posted it on the blog I was a little surprised. It is however the first absolutely true sample of the Sling Along design but due at least in part to the poor reception it received when it was posed, it’s OUT!

It’s Got Mystique

I loved everything about these fabrics immediately! It has such a lux look and feel with all the burnished embellishments & our brand new black w/gold zippers look totally amazing!

But if you’re a follower of past Purse Pattern Chronicles, then you know that I generally hesitate to put black on the pattern cover but with all the additional coloration here, I had hopes that this bag might just be the exception!
My one reservation is that the contrast fabric on the zipper pouch (although gorgeous) does not differ sufficiently from the exterior fabric and that somewhat obscures the interesting features of this design, so reluctantly it’s OUT!

Of Purple & Paisley

And I actually bought this fabric with the intention of using it for the Go-Go Compact but ditched my plans when I realized the focal prints were a little too large for that pattern. Having said that, I do LOVE these fabrics and even though it may be my personal favorite I didn’t choose it because just like the Mystique bag above, the similarity between the exterior & the contrast makes it too difficult to discern the various bag components.
(I did have one customer tell me that it looked like there was a marijuana leaf on the pocket!)

Either way, it’s OUT!

Familiar Skylines

I may have already mentioned that I bought this fabric at the MAQF in February because from the moment I saw it I knew it would be perfect for this design, but interestingly enough I was a little disappointed in the final result. I’m not sure why, but somehow I guess it just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Sometimes that happens, but over time it’s grown on me. I still love the color palette and because of that the bag components are easy to to see, but what I probably like more than anything is the “timeless” beauty of the NY skyline.

So there you have it…

Truth is, this design has been very well received so far so I easily could have gone with another choice and it probably wouldn’t make a bit of difference “sales-wise” but I’m pleased with how the cover came out. My printer had hired a new graphic designer this time and that proved to be a little scary at first! He told me he really didn’t do “girly stuff”, but after a major meeting of the minds, the final result he created is very compelling and I’m happy with the work he did!

But you know what?

Call me crazy but I always love knowing if you agree with our selection or if you think we totally blew it! So please feel free to leave your comments and/or questions in the space provided below!

AND PLEASE NOTE!!!! — Just as we did in our last pattern rollout in January, we’ll be announcing our pattern release with a SPECIAL edition of our Newsletter delivered later this month. It will be complete with a time-sensitive discount offer that will be extended ONLY to our Newsletter subscribers and to members of the StudioKat Designs Pattern Group.  So don’t miss out… you still have a small window of time to get in on the fun and pick up a nifty discount coupon too by clicking here to join our mailing list or by joining our brand new StudioKat Designs Pattern Group on FaceBook!

**************************************************************************

Check out the best sewing pins with me on Pinterest, join in on discussions or show off your work in our FaceBook Group, or get your daily sewing fix on our Facebook Business Page or get behind the scenes scoops on Instagram, and be the 1st to know about new patterns, discount codes and sample sales by signing up for our monthly newsletter.