Amy Butler and Me

I love Amy Butler.  Her fabrics are gorgeous, her books so inspiring.  But her patterns...that is where we part ways, most of the time.  My daughter wanted an Amy Butler diaper bag for her new baby.  She had purchased the book "little stitches for little ones" about 4 years ago, when it first came out.  Her first baby was a bit too old for some of the stuff, but it is a beautiful book, so she thought perhaps for other babies, or gifts etc.

Now I have made one other Amy Butler pattern.  I made a birdie sling bag when it was first out.  I even used Amy Butler fabrics for it. And I loved it.  It was a more complicated pattern than I had made in a while, and I did take a couple of shortcuts, cause that's how I am.  But it turned out nice.  I knew then that I would not make another Amy Butler pattern for some time, because I am not a patient and careful sewer.  I am okay with that.

But when my daughter asked, I thought, okay, time to get back on that horse.  This time I will do it right and follow all the directions carefully, no matter how long it takes.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I used a fabric the daughter had that she loved, Inspirations by Terrie Mangat for Free Spirit, and bought the lining, a Kona cotton, I think the color was Orange, at an end of bolt sale at the local quilt shop.  The batting and stabilizer etc. was pretty pricy since it took so much.  $29 for all of it.  I had a magnetic snap closure on hand.  So I spent one afternoon cutting out the pieces, and then quit for a week

 I bought the fleece and stabilizers a week later and after sitting on them for a week, cut them out.  Then I decided to dive in.  It took me 3+ hours to iron in all that fleece and interfacing!  I thought I'd never start sewing.  But eventually, I did.

 Once I started, and got the rhythm of the pattern, it began to get a bit easier.  Now let me say right here, that easier is relative to the pattern.  I kept thinking about other patterns I have made, and let me tell you I have been sewing for over 40 years now.  I need illustrations.  I need clear directions.

 This pattern had 23 steps, subdivided into a, b, c, d etc.  and only 3 little illustrations at the end of the pattern.  Well drawn, yes, but with arrows to show several points on each illustration!  Frustrating for me.

 The bulk of the bag was a lot to contend with also.  I bent one needle and countless pins.  I used LOTS of pins on this, which is so not me.  It was like trying to wrestle a porcupine.  And the porcupine won!  If you could have seen the contortions I had to do to get this thing to go through my machine too!

But now, it is done.  I hope she loves it.  Oh, and one last thing: There was suppose to be a cell phone pocket on one side of the bag.  I made the pocket, and before I installed it, I checked to see the phone fit.  Not hardly.  I think the design was for a small flip phone, which she doesn't have.  So I left it off.

If you want to make one of these, go for it.  But at least you have some idea what it entails now.  Lots more stitchy stuff coming this week.
Happy Monday.