Maggy55 Ciara Cross-body Bag

On our trip to France and Spain in 2014, my friend and travel buddy carried a super cute Kate Spade cross-body bag. Despite knowing where she bought it, I could not find something similar; perhaps it was a limited edition bag or newly-discontinued. Fast forward 10 years and I still remember that bag! Since I started making handbags a few years ago, I was always on the lookout for a pattern that closely resembles the Kate Spade bag. The Maggy55 Ciara is closest I've found so far:

(image source:  maggy55patterns.com)

The general shape is the same - save for the zippered pocket on the front. 

Here's my version:

I waffled back and forth on whether to color block or not. Upon perusing the various versions made by others on the Maggy55 website, I decided to color block and am glad I did. I opted to make the white vinyl more dominant on the front so that the bag appeared brighter.

Fabric & Notions:

• ~ 1/2 yard slightly off-white vinyl
• ~1/4 yard black vinyl
• unmeasured cut of teal waterproof canvas for the lining
• ~22" #5 metallic nylon coil zipper (black tape, nickel finish) for the exterior closures
• ~7" #5 metallic nylon coil zipper (hot pink tape, nickel finish) for the interior closure
  
• 3 x #5 zipper pulls in nickel finish for both the exterior and interior closures
• 4 x 10 mm double-capped rivets
• 2 x 0.5" Chicago screws
  
• 2 x 1" O-rings
• 1 x 1" D-ring
  
• 1 x 1" swivel clasps
• 1 nickel "handmade" metal plate
• 1 nickel zipper end
  
• interfacing:  fusible woven, Decovil (light) 
• thread:  regular, heavyweight
  
• needle:  100/16
  
• feet:  standard, non-stick, narrow hinged zipper
• throat plate for thicker fabrics

Construction notes:  I sewed the bag completely on my semi-industrial with mostly no issue. Sewing the strap and strap connectors was the hardest because of number of layers involved. Once finished, there are eight (8!!!) layers of vinyl and that's...a lot. I didn't have rivets big enough to pierce through all of those layers, so I used Chicago screws.

 

The pattern came together fairly quickly. If I make this again, I'll be sure to choose vinyls of similar weight. The black vinyl I used is slightly lighter than the white and makes for a weird slouchiness that I wasn't expecting. 

 

Also because the weights aren't the same, I couldn't get a good even stitch on the back. There is only so much (read:  none) unpicking one can do with vinyl and I decided once was enough.

For the lining and interior zipper, I used bright colors for contrast. I had this polyester canvas (perhaps waterproof) fabric and I wanted to see how well it sewed and if I should consider using it more often for lining. I like it and can see using more of this instead of quilting cottons.

interior zippered pocket

This is my first time sewing a vinyl zipper overlay. Though it's not clear in this picture, I definitely need more practice with stitching this part.

 

interior slip pocket

I think I should have used coordinating thread here. It's not bad, but could look better.

 

I really took my time sewing this part because it's a focal point on the front I wanted to intersection to look good.

 

Instructions:  The instructions are very detailed and well-illustrated. There is a lot of information to take in and the bag designer does a good job of clearly explaining everything. There are also videos available for each major section of construction. Note:  the videos are only available with purchase of the pattern.

 

There were two minor issues:

1.    The instructions use *a lot* of double-sided tape.  A LOT. The designer used leather to construct their bag, so I suppose double-sided tape was necessary. I don't have a  problem with DST and have plenty on hand. I just probably could have gotten away with using a lot less on the vinyl.

2.    I think there is a better way to construct the straps that doesn't result in super thick layers. I don't think I can give specifics; suffice it to say if I make this again, I'll construct the straps differently.

Aside from that, the instructions and accompanying videos are great.

Hardware & Notions:  All of the hardware and notions were purchased from my regulars:   Wawak (thread, zipper tape, O-rings), Emmaline Bags (swivel clasp), Tandy Leather (rivets, Chicago screws) and JoJos (interfacing).

Conclusion:  This is my first Maggy55 pattern and I'm encouraged to make more. I have three of her patterns and intend to make them some time in the future. Some of the hardware is unique and I have to find a good source.

 

I wore it with my latest version of Vogue 9299. I have no idea if this matches, but *I* like it and am happy with how it looks.

The bag can be worn across the body or on the shoulder. To get the on-the-shoulder look, the strap is doubled, fed through the other O-ring, and connected to a D-ring on the other side. It's a clever design.

***

This is the first and only item I've made on my MakeNine 2024 grid. I traced the pattern for one of the shirts and almost immediately got bored with it. That's not a good sign. 😬

L

Almost Finished with the Basement

The great water debacle of summer 2023 set in motion the intention to *do something* with my basement sewing space. Back in the 60s or 70s, brown wood paneling and matching floors was probably all the rage. However for a basement space with limited outdoor light, it was just too dark and depressing. I wanted to replace the paneling with drywall, but getting a contractor to return calls has been challenging. So, my partner and I painted the walls and installed new peel-and-stick flooring.

 

Here's the before:

 

What a difference a couple of cans of paint can make:

 

Well...that and getting rid of a lot of clutter.  And by "get rid of" I mean rearrange into bigger bins in the storage room. 😬

 

I threw out the darker old furniture that I had from the early 90s. Even though it was still functional, it was time for a change. Sauder furniture from back in the day was built to last - and it certainly did.

I bought an IVAR storage unit from IKEA to serve as better organization for my pattern magazines and other sewing knickknacks. I built this exact same unit for my home office 20 years ago and it's still holding up. I like that it's all-in-one where I don't need to have a separate bookshelf and end tables like before. Plus it's a lighter color and just goes with the space. Eventually, I will update my cutting surface to the KALLAX series; I need to math out all the details first.

The flooring is regular old peel-and-stick 6" x 36" tiles. I wanted a floating floor, but since the floor isn't level, I didn't want to fuss with floor leveling compounds and removing tiles and all that mess. So, bae and I spent four to five days peeling, sticking, and rolling tiles. Neither one of us had ever done this before so we consulted Le Google for information. We laid a full 36" plank and then laid planks of 24" and 12" in length in the next rows (after completing a full column). I think this gives a nice pattern across the floor and helps with varying the tile pattern.

Although there are some flaws, I hope to get a few years out of this with all the work we put in.

I wanted to tear out the ceiling and paint the joists/duct work, but that would have added way more time to completing this project. Obviously doing the ceiling before the floors and walls would have better, but I just didn't have it in me. I can always carefully cover everything if I decide to tackle the ceiling. That's a future-me problem.

I had to figure out what to do with two built-in closets. The closets were created out of the same ugly wood paneling. I knew I didn't want to paint them, so I tore them out and hung curtain rods. I found some home dec fabric that matched perfectly, but it's far too heavy and doesn't drape they way I want. It's fine for now, though I'll likely replace it with something else later.

I went back and forth on painting the machine room. I liked the bright yellow color, but it just didn't mesh well with the new floor.

 

Painting this room made a world of difference and I'm glad I decided on a different color.

 

I say the basement is almost finished because I need to re-do the quarter round trim and paint the stairwell. The nails I used to reattach the trim were a bit too fine. I used 23 gauge nailer, but really needed something larger (e.g., 18 gauge) so that the nails had more bite. The trim is secure to the baseboard, but I can see where things can be better. After working on this for three months, I simply ran out of steam and really wanted to sew something.

 

So that's where we are with the basement! Overall, I am very happy with how it turned out; it's bright, fresh, organized, and I like being in the space. 

 

I want to send heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Debbie Cook (Stitches and Seams) for answering questions on power tools, trim, and the like. Thank you so much Debbie for offering your insight! You helped make this happen. 💛

Since almost-finishing the basement, I've sewn several items that I'll share in the next post.

Thanks for reading!

L