Hometown Ripple

 It was time for a new handbag. Well, the fact was that when I bought all that lovely Hometown yardage from Sweetwater a while back, I also got some of the canvas type fabric, thinking it might work well for a bag, more than the fact that I needed a new bag... But then, any excuse will do!
I played with lots of design ideas, but none of them really did it for me. While going through my patterns, I remembered that I had been meaning to make a handbag from a Melly & Me pattern called "Raspberry Ripple", but I hadn't managed to decide what fabric to use. When it finally dawned on me that I could combine the two, it was time to start working. I had done the cutting before christmas, but was sidetracked by other things that seemed more important at the time, so this got left on the back burner. Once I got back to it and ironed the interfacing on all the pieces, the actual sewing didn't take very long.

I used a turquoise and red polka dot fabric for the lining and the inside pocket. I also added a strap with a swivel hook for my keys or mobile phone.

The original pattern had a magnet button closure, but I added a gusset with a zipper instead, so I can close it all the way. The Hometown charm I'd bought from the Sweetwater Etsy shop is perfect as zipper pull. A pair of leather-look bag handles finishes the bag off quite nicely. So there you go, another UFO bites the dust, and I can happily carry my new handbag to town!