Emmaline Double Flip Shoulder Bag

This post is all about the new bag I have just completed.

While looking for some ideas for a bag that was roomy without being oversized, one that I could wear cross-body, that would easily hold my iPad mini along with essentials, I came across the  Emmaline Bags website where I found the perfect pattern for what I had in mind. I love the convenience of being able to make a purchase and get the pattern by instant download.....and I gotta say it is a well presented, extremely well thought out pattern design with lots of illustrations and excellent written instructions. having said that, you will want to read the instructions carefully and follow the steps in order as presented.

Instead of going out and buying fabric specifically for this project, I decided to see if I could put it together using what I had on hand. In the end, the only item I had to purchase was the magnetic clasp.
The rest of the hardware and zippers were harvested from a purse obtained at the thrift shop (for a $1.50)

I began by piecing together strips to create the fabric I wanted to use for the front and back (main body) of the bag. I then choose bits and pieces of fabrics that I thought would coordinate well.

there are a lot of pieces....here you can see the pile ready to begin assembly ....and this is after all the interfacing and fusible fleece was applied.

below is a look how some of the steps progressed

lining for main part of the bag

these are full length exterior pockets that form the flaps...at this point it may look a little confusing but it is very cool how it all comes together in the end.

this is the main part of the exterior

and here things are staring to be stitched together

of course I could not resist adding a few little extras to customize this bag for myself
I like to have extra spots for clipping things, So I added this to the interior

and a extra little dangling D ring on the exterior

I also added the slip pockets to my exterior pocket flaps as well as an extra slim one to hold my pen

I skipped making the strap according to the instructions and instead choose to use cotton webbing. Because the cotton webbing frays AND I did not want a lot of bulk that comes with a double fold method, I made little bias bands to slip over the folded raw edge to cover, stitch and secure in place

you can see it in a couple of spots in these photos. The bands snugly cover the raw edges while adding a bit of contrast to the plain strap.

I am quite pleased with the finished bag.