Amy Butler's Everything Bag

Wrote this one a couple of weeks ago. I went bonkers and decided that I needed a SECOND diaper bag that my husband just might be willing to hold for a couple of minutes, and this is what I chose.
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The next project I tackled is Amy Butler's Everything Bag from her book Little Stitches for Little Ones. I wanted a second diaper bag that was a little more neutral in print than the Modern Diaper Bag I made last year. I love that bag, but sometimes it's either not big enough or the print just isn't really what I'm wanting that day. Plus, there's a slight, minuscule, infinitesimal chance that Captain Caffeine might be willing to hold it for me, which would be a huge bonus!


I had a MUCH easier time with this one than I did with the Modern Diaper Bag.For one, I think that since I had already worked with a pattern from this book I was much more prepared for how it is written, and I knew to pay specific attention to every detail in each step. I also knew to get heavy duty needles, so I didn't have to deal with nearly as many breaking. I love that this bag has both exterior and interior pockets, and that the interior pockets have elastic at the top...nothing's going to fall out of those easily!

The only difficulty I really had was in attaching the lining sides to the bottom. That's because the dang murtherf*rking stupid a$$ very stiff center divider makes manipulating the ends of the fabric difficult...I just couldn't get it to lay flat enough to get a nice, straight seam. At least it was only the lining!


Suggestions for this? Not many. 

• I would consider making the divider slightly shorter. That way not only is it easier to do the edge and top stitching at the top of the bag, but it just seems like aesthetically it's more pleasing.
• I would also make the straps longer...easier to get over your shoulder. Although it's very functional this way...I just think that, with how large the bag is, it will be on my shoulder more than just in my hand or over my lower arm.
• I would also use less elastic, even if it makes installing the pockets more difficult. At the length the pattern calls for, I might as well not even have elastic pockets, since they don't have to expand at all to get items in/out of the pockets.

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All in all, I love this bag. If I were to make it again, I would definitely use my suggestions above, with possibly the exception of the divider...I guess it would depend on my mood!