Sew Bags by Hilarie Wakefield Dayton

I have been following Hilarie on Instagram, @littlestitchstudio, for a few years now and always admired the bags, clutches and totes she made. So when I found out she wrote a book called Sew Bags you can imagine how thrilled I was! Not only does this book have 13 cute and unique bags, but Hilarie also give insight on how to think like a designer, and some really cut embellishments. 

I had two classes look through the book and decide as a group which bag they wanted to make. With so many fun bags to choose from, the kids had a tough time. In the end the first class chose the Savannah Cross Body Bag, and the second class chose the Rachel Drawstring Pouch. 

I made a few adjustments to the Savannah to make it easier for my students to finish within two weeks, their standard attention span for a project. We made the strap from ribbon instead of a double folded strap from matching fabric. We also removed the D-rings, and facing. Creating a fully lined cross body that looks almost identical to the original. We were able to finish them in just two classes (total of 3 hours). 

There was no need to modify anything for the Rachel Drawstring. The kids loved this one as a gift just in time for the holidays. Some said they might even use theirs as reusable gift wrap!  I just love the cute shape of this drawstring. Again this project took us two classes (3 hours) to complete. 

If you are looking for a gift for a Sewcialist in your group I highly recommend Sew Bags. This is great from novice - experienced sewcialists. If you have sewn before, but have never made a bag this will be great, and if you have made multiple bags and are looking to improve your skills this is also great! I have been teaching sewing for 10 years and still learned new techniques when working through the projects. 

Buy Sew Bags Here