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I am so pleased to have finished the Molly Handbag pattern from Reba Collins. In my last post about Molly I had just finished the exterior part of the bag. I was therefore determined to finish the interior and assemble the bag this week. The pattern is so easy to follow, so within an hour […]
Pattern Pieces
For Handmade Monday #32 I thought I would tell you how I got on with starting the Molly Handbag pattern by Reba Collins.
I had decided on using a contrast fabric for just the ruffle part of the bag (the spotty fabric), with the bold flower fabric for the main body, top band and strap. I then used the rest of the spotty fabric for the lining. I printed out the pattern pieces and using Reba’s instructions cut out my pattern pieces, saving on time and fabric by double folding the fabric.
I then ironed on the fleece interfacing and the woven interlining, this was a new experience for me as I have never used either of these, but oh how I loved how they change the feel of the fabric! I have already thought of other projects to try which uses them!
Attaching main body to top band
The next step was to make the ruffle and attach to the top band. By machine basting I could then use the threads to pull the fabric into a ruffle. Using lots of pins I then attached the main body to the top band, shaping it to fit the curved shape.
Slowly the bag was coming together and I was really pleased on my fabric choices. The pattern was also so easy to follow – Reba has written it so well, with pictures and notes to supplement and help with the tricky bits.
I now had the exterior completed and just had to trim the corners to give the bag a flat bottom. This posed the greatest challenge so far, trying to match the bottom and side seams was quite tricky!
Completed exterior
However it all seemed to work out, turned it ride sides out and here it is! My next step is to join the lining pieces and add the strap. I hope to get the rest of the bag finished soon so will blog how I get on!
Register for Reba’s weekly recap and get the Molly Handbag Pattern for free. Also check out Handmade Monday and see what everyone else has been up to!
Sarah x
After joining Twitter 3 weeks ago and hoping to expand into the world of sewing I was delighted to find a tweet from Reba Collins asking for someone to test her Molly Handbag pattern. I eagerly replied and now have the fab job of exploring her pattern! I will blog how I get on along the way and will ultimately give Reba some feedback on how her pattern works.
The first and most enjoyable task is to choose some suitable fabric. I have many designers who I love and I am torn between several different designs. The handbag pattern involves either one colour exterior or a multi colour exterior – I have chosen to do the latter, but finding coordinating fabric will be a challenge! So while I decide please leave me a comment on what your favourite fabric is. I think I will probably go for something by Amy Butler but would love to branch away from the common designers so your input on some more unusual designs would be great!
Off now to continue my fabric search – life can be so hard! 
Sarah x
