Compass Bag II

Even though I loved the Ainsley Bag I made a few few weeks ago, I knew almost immediately that it was too small for my day to day use. As I was considering what to make to serve my purposes, I decided I really wanted to use that Meadow in Dusk from Dusk Fusion by Bonnie Christine again in some way. For my Ainsley Bag, I used it for the exterior fabric. Turns out, this time, it became the bag lining.

Looking through my bag patterns, I selected Noodlehead's Compass Bag, which I didn't remember at first that I'd made before. When I realized it, I was pretty sure it would be a good choice, so I forged ahead with plans to make the small version, which measures 9.5" wide x 11" high x 4" deep. Rummaging through my stash, I struggled a bit about what to use for an exterior fabric, and finally decided to try some leather I'd been given. I wasn't 100% sure how it would work out but figured it was worth a try.

Right off, I knew I'd use Aurifil Forty3. Luckily I had 1246 [Grey], which coordinated beautifully with the light gray leather, with 40wt in the bobbin and a 100/16 needle. I also used my Non-Stick Sewing Presser Foot, which sews on leather without marring the surface. Someone had told me about it, and I was dubious due to the low price, but it's been working great for me.

The pattern calls for interfacing most pattern pieces with Pellon SF101, but I omitted that on all the leather pieces. It also suggested a canvas layer behind all the exterior pieces, and for better or worse, I went ahead and added that. Later, I was thinking maybe that might not have been necessary, and just added to the thickness of the layers, and the weight of the bag.

Due to the use of the leather, there were several things I did differently than the pattern suggested:

• Omitted the rivets on View A side pockets
• Used just one layer of leather for the strap tabs and D-ring holders
• Omitted the top-stitching on the final exterior seam - there was just no way to scrunch the leather under the needle to make it happen
• Glued that final exterior seam and let it dry well with a clapper on top
• Before stitching the final top-stitching around the top of the bag, I hammered the thickest seams at the sides, front, and back from the inside (not directly on the leather)

As often is the case, I just grabbed the leather strap I'd been using on a previous bag to use on this new one, as the hardware matched. I'm thinking I'll consider the two bags as a 'set' - using the one I need to on any particular day. Meanwhile, the Compass is much roomier than the Ainsley, though not huge, and I'm already enjoying using it.