Paddington purse

I have been a bit obsessed with snap lock purses lately. Ever since I saw Very Berry Handmade's purse for the In The Frame Purse Swap I knew I had to make another one. And wouldn't you know - I just happened to have everything I needed! I had bought a kit containing this sweet Paddington fabric and  purse frame a while back, but was discouraged when I found that the pattern was not included. I made a couple of purses a while ago, but that pattern would not do for this one. When I saw this purse, I knew this was just right and luckily the link to the Etsy shop  was included. An hour later the pattern was downloaded and I was happily sewing along - isn't the internet great? A time thief at times, I know, but also a great resource. The fabric I used for the sides is Sweetwater, Hometown.

The purses I made earlier had the kind of frame where you had to use glue, and that had it's own issues, but I found it a bit fiddly to get started with this sew in frame as well. After a few false starts, I ended up with basting a few stitches through the frame mid curve and into the seam connecting the two different fabrics. This left the edge suspended just below where it was to get stitched into the frame and ensured that I got it centered in the frame. I used blue/grey embroidery floss for the stitching and while it hardly shows on the outside, it's not quite so pretty on the inside. But I suppose it's just a question of practise and taking one' s time...

I will certainly get some practise now, though, as, buoyed up by my successfull finish, I went on here and ordered some more frames. I also got an expandable frame, so now it's off sleuthing to find out how to stitch a purse for this one...