February Bag of the Month

My February FrouFrou Bag

When I saw the name of the February bag (Windowshopper, by Mrs. H.), I knew exactly which of the fabrics in my stash I would use! What a perfect excuse.

No pocket on the front, just a large one on the back and the two interior ones.

I made the interior zipped pocket extra wide and deep so I could drop my (overstuffed) wallet in there, eliminating the need for a separate handbag. To keep it from pulling on the pocket, I stitched it all around to the lining.  

For the strap, I use cotton twill whenever I can, so I did this time. It's so sturdy that with the four layers obtained normally it doesn't need interfacing, but just to be safe I usually top stitch it up to five times - depending on the width. I also like the effect you get with that.

I used both Fray Chek and glue for the grommets - fingers crossed!

The fabric is part of the “Frou Frou” series, by Kathleen Francour for SPX Fabrics. This one consists of a large panel in the center, surrounded by several smaller panels. It's sold by the panel, and it's my understanding that this sort of design is normally used for quilts.

I have two others fabric from the same series, both with allover designs on the same theme; I used one of them for the back of the bag. I think I’ll make a large shopping bag out of one of the matching fabrics, then I’ll be all set when I go to town.