Messenger Bag

I still can not believe that I am finished with my messenger bag. It took me forever to needle punch all those flowers.

Let's start from the beginning...I found a fabric panel showing a Paris (France) street scene. Since the panels was in the sale bin, I brought them with the idea that someday they would be curtain valances.

Fast forward to a month ago when I ran across the panels while trying to clean out some of my stash (waste of time, everything is still there). As soon as I saw the panels, I thought of a purse. I wanted a messenger bag but could not find a pattern that I liked so I just made one up.

I quilted fabric for the bag so that I would not need to put in a lining. Then I started working on the front flap. I put together a layer of batting, the part of the panel that showed the flower shop, then the window screening, quilted this together. Next I pulled out my bag of roving scraps and started rolling tiny balls and then needle felting them where ever there was flowers on the panel. It felt like it took forever. Once that was all done I put on the backing, put the flap on the bag, trimmed everything with binding, put in my name label on the inside flap and the bag was finished.

I really like it. I am sorry that I did not quilt a more colorful lining but that will be for the next one. I want to make some more messenger bags now.