Haralson Belt Bag III

Does this bag look familiar?

If so, I'm not surprised! After seeing my Haralson Belt Bag, a pattern by Anna Graham @noodlehead531, I made a pretty blue one for my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness using Essex Speckle Yarn Dyed in Ocean for the exterior. Blue is her very favorite, and when my daughter-in-law Lindsey @lindsjeske saw it, she commented on how much she liked it. I offered to make a Haralson bag for her too, and she liked that idea! After talking about it, we agreed I'd use the same Ocean Essex exterior with a different lining - Rifle Paper Co. Garden Party Wild Rose in Blue Metallic.

Other than that, the zips, hardware, leather, and webbing are all the same as Rachel's. The girls can't help if they have similar tastes!

This is a really enjoyable bag to make, though I think I'm done for now!

Haralson Belt Bag II

I've been loving using my Haralson Bag! Small (9.5" wide x 2" deep x 7" tall), but not too small, when I showed it to my daughter Rachel @snippetsofsweetness, she nodded YES when I asked if she'd like me to make her one too.

I knew without her telling me that it would need to be blue. I ordered up a few options, and in the end used Essex Speckle Yarn Dyed in Ocean for the exterior and Ruby Star Rising Collaborative Collection Water Pool Tiles Royal Blue for the lining. They were both such beautiful fabrics to work with, and the pairing was a delight.

The Noodlehead Haralson Belt Bag by Anna Graham pattern goes together so easily and pretty quickly too. For Rachel's, I ordered the leather , 3/4" hardware kit, and 1" wide crossbody hardware kit so everything matched nicely. Luckily, I had the black zippers on hand as well as that pretty blue 1" webbing. I really love the blueness of the bag with those black and nickel accents.

So it was great to be able to make Rachel a new bag. I certainly hope she enjoys using it as much as I do mine.

Haralson Belt Bag

Hubby and I have been trying hard to go out walking more often, and every once in a while, I find I wish I had a small bag to carry a few things in, something much smaller and lighter than my everyday Compass Bag. After looking around a bit, I decided to make a Noodlehead Haralson Belt Bag by Anna Graham. It can be worn as a crossbody bag, more like a sling, snug to your body, or as a fanny pack. The size - 9.5" wide x 2" deep x 7" tall, seemed just about right, and now that it's done, I'm sure it is.

For fabric, I chose echino dots by Etsuko Furuya for KOKKA for the exterior, and Wordplay by Michele D'Amore for Benartex for the lining. Both had been in my stash for a verrry long time. Luckily, I had the two metal zippers called for on hand - though instructions were given for zipper by the yard. And I used hardware I had on hand, so pieces may not match exactly, but I felt they were close enough.

The sewing of the bag went together swimmingly, except for a snafu or three with the hardware. TOTALLY user error! The first rivet I installed must have slipped, as the head was slightly smashed. Oops. I found a tool of hubby's that I was able to use to miraculously cut the stem of the rivet, so I could remove and replace it. Then, when I was nearly done, and had just turned the bag right-side out, I discovered the rivet holding the bottom closure piece (that I had just replaced) had fallen out. Soooo out came the seam ripper to open the bottom seam and reinstall that rivet again. Except then I realized that in replacing the rivet with the bag partially constructed, I caught the bag's main lining, which would have been very awkward when the bag was in use. An easy fix was to snip the lining around the rivet, that loosened the other side. In doing so, I had created a small hole in the lining, but after treating with Fray Check and sewing one of my labels over the top, isn't noticeable at all, and I think will wear just fine. What an ordeal! Obviously, purse hardware is not my strong suit, but I survived, the bag survived, and all is well.

The bag's front exterior had the most unique method to create those 'corners.' That Anna is a genius.

The only two changes I made to my bag were 1) using leather scraps for the strap holders rather than the webbing that was suggested; and 2) the leather pieces for the front closure were 1" rather then the 3/4" suggested, as that measurement fit my hardware better. I think both were fine choices.

So besides the hardware missteps, the bag was really enjoyable to make, as Anna's patterns always are. I'm looking forward to having and using the Haralson as an option when I'm out and about.