PPC35: Back to Tucson
So in our last post... we had finally accomplished most of the improvements we felt HAD to be made before we could go forward finalizing the instructions & making show samples... but there was still one area that needed a generous tweak, and that was the bottle Pouch area. Due to some excellent reader feedback, we decided to make this pouch deeper, and if you check the pictures above, you can see that we DID... (maybe a bit too deep?) I might shave just a bit of this height down, considering that this is a standard-sized Aquafina water bottle in place, and it's almost swallowed whole! 😀
The above pictures should give you a good idea of this bag's size (I'm still contemplating a name for this bag... any ideas?) And just so you know... I generally do all of my own photography, which should explain why the bottle pouch instantly jumped over to the opposite side of this bag!
And SURPRISE!!! This time I decided to add an optional card holder to the front pouch area! I put it in sideways, because that's probably the way you'll be accessing it, especially if you're carry this bag as a sling bag.
It could however, be easily added instead, or in addition, to the back circular pocket instead (or also). Maybe in our next sample, I'll give you an idea of how it would look there?
Pictured above, are the various ways the zippered strap can be configured so that it can be carried as a shoulder bag, a sling bag, or as a backpack!
And speaking of that circular back pocket... here it is at left. I sized this pocket so that it can securely accommodate any smart phone currently on the Market and additionally... if you place your phone in this pocket, it will be held housed safe & sound against your body, regardless of what configuration you choose to carry it!
Here's two closer looks at the way I "doctored" these zippers to match the contrast fabric I used for this sample. This was my first foray into transforming zippers this way and I had a lot of fun, I'm proud of the result, but if I had it to do over again, (which I most assuredly will!), I would have chosen a solid turquoise fabric rather than the dotted turquoise I used.
As it turns out, even though this contrast matched the exterior perfectly, it was probably a little too busy for this complex exterior.
It's OK! as they say... live & learn!
But if you're interested in using this technique on one of YOUR upcoming projects, I've written up a nice little tutorial for you to use free of charge, and I'll share that in the next post in this series, so stay tuned for that?
And finally... here's a few words about this fabric! It's called "Gold Blanket Stripe" and it's part of the Tucson Collection from Elizabeth's Studio.
I'm not carrying this fabric on my website, but if you Google that info above, I'm sure you can find some! It comes in several colorways!
BUT---Here's a word to the wise!
I purchased 1/2 yard of this fabric, and by the time I got through fussy-cutting the exterior, I literally only had the scraps in the picture left (above right), and several of the smaller pieces had to be pieced and sewn together! YIKES! So maybe go for 3/4 of a yard>
And now.... it's YOUR turn!
I'd love to get some feedback on how you feel about this design thus far! If you have comments you'd like to share, suggestions you'd like to make, or questions you'd like to ask about this design in general, or this sample in specific, (and I hope you do), please feel free to leave any or all in the space provided below.
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