Heather Ross Weekend Bag

Now that I'm spending a lot more time at the gym, I've also been showering and getting dressed there much more than usual. Especially if I have places to go after my workout, it's often just easier to get ready there instead of going home first. However, my teeny tiny toiletry bag just wasn't cutting it anymore. I needed something that was larger, but also not super rigid so it could be shoved into odd sized spaces in my gym bag.

I finally got to use the book I won from Lindsey T last year, Weekend Sewing from Heather Ross.

A really cute overnight bag pattern is one of the projects and it looked like it would be a good size for what I needed. I picked up some pink, white and brown striped home dec fabric for the body of the bag and a brown acetate for the lining - both from Joann Fabrics. Even though both fabrics were not recommended for regular washing, I pre-washed both and they came out fine. And now I can toss the finished bag in the machine if it ever gets dirty. :)

The project actually went together pretty quickly. I think this is a very well-drafted pattern, but there was one pretty big issue. There isn't much guidance given on how close to the zipper teeth to attach the top panels. I got pretty far into the construction when it became clear that they were most definitely not close enough. Grrrr. Thankfully, I only had to rip out part of what I'd sewed and then was able to rig a good solution. What I particularly like is how there are no raw edges on the inside. The body and lining pieces are all sewn together before construction, so the inside of the bag has nice clean edges. In fact, the contrast between the body and lining almost looks like piping - super cute!

In hindsight, I wish that I'd added a light interfacing to the main panel because it is really flimsy. I don't think the top or side panels need it, but the main bag could definitely use a bit more oomph.

All in all, I like it and would definitely sew it again. It easily holds all of my stuff and then some.

And look how cute it looks with my flat iron and make up bags. Yes, I'm crazy and get a kick out of all my travel bags matching. :)