Oh we do like to be beside the Seafoam.....

Last weekend I was very lucky to be able to pick up some lovely Summersville yardage in a closing down sale.  Very sadly, Tricolette in St John's Wood is closing it's doors, but they generously offered members of the LMQG a final discount as thanks for our support (we've been holding our monthly meetings there, and needless to say, money is spent each time!).

thank goodness for sunshine!

I decided the seafoam Weave and Street were perfect for a little bag project, and so last night I launched into a Go Anywhere bag, another pattern by Anna at Noodle-head.

I have to say, I didn't find this pattern as easy as the 241 tote, which I loved making.  However, having been in two minds last night, this morning, photographing it in the sun, I love it!  

(I quite love having the chance to get a bit artistic in the garden too!  nice to be able to walk across the grass to this tree without needing wellies!)

There were a couple of things that I did wrong, where I felt a little bit of warning in the pattern would have been useful.  Maybe we should be able to automatically realise when putting the lining over the exterior to sew them both together that we should make sure the inner pocket is at the back, or that when inserting the handles as well as making sure we don't twist them, we should also make sure the seam is on the inside...  however, I have proved that kind of thing is not necessarily intuitive to those of us relatively new to sewing, especially when there's so many other things to be concentrating on.  

I've managed to work it to my advantage though - initially I didn't top stitch the handles down the middle - having lined them with fusible fleece I wanted to keep some of the squidginess and thought this stitching might spoil that.  Having tried unpicking the topstitching (yes it was finished before I realised what I'd done wrong!!) I decided those handles really needed topstitching down the middle after all.... as it neatly hid the visible seam!  As for that pesky inner pocket?  Well, I don't know about you, but I think it's easier to have the pocket at the front so when you hold the bag open to rummage inside, it's more easily available.  Brilliant, eh?!  

I also did the front 'baggy' pocket slightly differently, and just stitched it once down the centre, rather than the two angled sewing lines, as I thought this way the pocket would sit more neatly.  And all in all, I think it turned out OK.  I would say next time I'll get it right, but I'm not sure I need another Go Anywhere for now.....