Has anyone had a go at making their own version of this bag?

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Its the Cath Kidston craft bag www.johnlewis.com/231261206/Product.aspx?source=63258.

Its just the right size and shape for all my crafty sewing kit to fit into but at £35 its a bit pricey for me, plus I don't like the CK fabrics much. I was just wondering if anyone had done their own and whether there is a free pattern or tutorial out there anywhere for something similar. Thanks.

oooh that's lovely, it looks fairly simple in design, but I'm not really very good at sewing, plus I just make my own patterns for stuff and muddle through... so I'm not sure... hopefully this will bump for you and someone else will come along.

Thanks, I think it looks pretty simple too, I can make a pattern for the basic bag bit it just the bits where the handles go really. I'm not sure how they attach or what shape is best for that section of fabric.

Hoping someone will come and enlighten me, otherwise I'll just give it a go and see how it turns out.

I think the fabric just hems round them IYSWIM. You need a channel as if it had a draw string but you need to sew it down over the handle rather than sewing it and threading a string through it.

Shape wise, I'm imagining a rectangle with a trapezium on top.

I'm thinking a long oblong for the bottom and sides, with a trapezium for the front and back, but maybe the wider side at the top to allow for the gathers?
(Does that make any sense at all??)
I like this but loathe CK, also think it would be easy to make.

Well, it sounds like a trapezium is the way forward! I think it will be a nightmare to sew the handles on but I'll just have to do it very slowly and take my time.

I'm going to make little zipped bags to go inside it, a bit like this here and here to have my bits in. A big one for threads, one for bobbins, one for buttons etc so hopefully it will all stay neat and tidy inside even with all my stuff.

I was thinking I'd make a matching needle book too, like this here

Its going to take me ages I think, but then I should have a neat and tidy (and cute) way of keeping all my stuff together and hopefully it will cost less than that CK bag.

On this one the channel for the handles is incorporated in the front panel of fabric. So it's not a separate piece of fabric Are you planning to line it?

If I was doing it, I would make the gathers that go around the handles and machine stitch these down. Then wrap your gathered/pleated bit of fabric around the handle, then slip stitch by hand on the inside of the bag. Does that make sense?

I'd suggest buying your handles and then playing around with some scrap fabric until you get the right shape for your front and back. You might find that you actually need a trapezium shape with a rectangle on the top edge in the middle, to accommodate the handles.

The other thing, althought it's not quite 'the done thing' would be to buy one of the bags, study it thoroughly, take dimensions and lots of photos, then return it. All done using white cotton gloves.

www.squidoo.com/how-to-make-sew-tote-messenger-laptop-bags-craft-tutorials-sewing

Sorry meant to say there are loads of tutorials on that link.