Simplicity 2676 Changeable Cover Bags

Hello Friends! I decided to sew another bag. . .this time using Simplicity 2676 bag pattern. The pattern photos are a little deceiving because the bag looks smaller in the pictures but it was larger than I expected. I decided to work on a "practice" bag using fabrics that I had a lot of in the case the bag didn't turn out nicely. . .LOL! I'd hate to use fabrics that I really liked and the bag didn't turn out too well. I'll make another one. . .using a cuter fabric next time.

What I do like about the bag is that it allows you to sew changeable covers so you can have a variety of designs without having to sew a complete bag. I love that concept. The bag makes for a great summer bag for shopping or for a casual outing.

The buttons on the bag are used to attach the bag cover on to the base of the bag. The cover has elastic loops that hooks on to the buttons.

This photo shows the mechanic of the elastic and button component.

Here is the second cover I sewn. My daughter said the fabric looks like it's for an "old person". . .what does she know, right? She liked the striped pattern better.

Okay. . .I want to discuss "interfacing". I had read online that Pellon "Craft Fuse" interfacing was a good interfacing for bags. I do agree to some degree. It's a fabulous interfacing if you use home decor or very heavy weight fabrics like the floral fabric I used for the cover. It holds the bag up real well so it isn't floppy and such. . . .but. . .for cotton or medium to lightweight fabrics. . .I don't like it as an interfacing because it causes the fabric to becomes wrinkled in some areas because of it's crispness. I may use a fleece interfacing for lighter weight fabrics and or a medium weight interfacing over the fabric then layer it with the Craft Fuse so the fabric stiffens up a bit but won't cause wrinkling to the fabric. I'll experiment a little and see what works best.

The pattern actually has a different pocket design. The pattern's pocket actually wraps around the inner part of the bag with multiple pockets. I didn't like it because it reminded me of a crafting bag and I wanted the bag to be more of a casual outing bag. I may use the pattern's pocket when I sew this bag some other time with the intention of using it as a crafting bag. The bottom of the bag is quite sturdy because it has a plastic canvas support. The pattern calls for a "Velcro" closure which I did do but I don't like it. The next time I sew this bag I'm going to use a magnetic snap closure instead.

This is the base of the bag. It's actually nice enough to use without the cover.

Here is the pattern that I used. . . .Simplicity 2676. It has 2 cover designs but I used only one of them. One has a zig zag pattern and the other is a scallop pattern. I used the scallop pattern on both covers. As you can see, the bag looks smaller in the pictures but if you look at the picture of my daughter holding the bag in the first picture, it's quite a large bag.

Anyway. . .I think I'm going to move on and try another bag pattern or maybe an apron! It's been really fun creating bags and aprons. . .eventually, I'll move on to creating clothing. . .I would love to design my own one day!

That's it! Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday