Brookfield Bag + Lisbon Pouch

When I decided I needed a new purse recently, I went with a pattern I was already familiar with - the Brookfield Bag - a free pattern from Sew Sweetness. I'd made my first Brookfield back in 2014, and really enjoyed using it until the fabric started to wear thin. Not having the heart to toss it, though, I'd kept it in my sewing closet, which turned out to be a very good idea, as I was able to repurpose the hardware for my new bag.

For fabric, I used a pair of Carolyn Friedlander prints. The exterior is from her Kept collection; the interior from Gleaned. And the accent is Essex Yarn Dyed in Olive.

I chose to make a pared down version this time, so I went with no corner accents, no piping, a simpler slip pocket AND I used the leather crossbody handle from my most previous bag. I confess I was pretty pleased with my ingenuity overall on this remake. The one bit that gave me grief on the original was the installation of the twist lock. Luckily, since then, Sara had posted a YouTube video on installing one, and once I'd referenced that, it took me about five minutes for me to install mine on the new bag. Yay.

The finished Brookfield measures 11" long by 7" tall and is perfect for what I needed and wanted this summer.

I also recently tried a new-to-me pattern from Sotak Handmade, her Lisbon Pouch. I think I'd purchased the pattern when she first released it, but hadn't tried it yet. I'm sure glad I have now, as it went together like a dream. The pattern comes with three size options, and I chose the largest, at 5.5" x 9.5", since I was making it per a friend's request. With two zippers, it's pretty roomy, and a fun little one to coordinate fabric for. Hopefully my friend finds it useful as she travels this fall.

So it seems the smaller non-quilt projects have been where I've spent my time the last couple of weeks. Unless something else comes up, I think I might actually be ready to start focusing on quilting again, though I DO have a couple more (completed) projects to share, so stay tuned!