It was love at first sight with the vibrant colors and oriental fan and mum motif on this fabric. I also was looking for an excuse to do some self-dyed faux leather. And you all know about my continuing goal of implementing smocking into adult clothing. Those three things combined in my latest bag. Its Vogue 7701, an OOP. I did View B, which in retrospect, is too small for my taste. Next time it will definitely be the larger View A bag for me!

The fabric is 100% quilting cotton. The gusset and handle are the dyed faux snakeskin in a metallic blue. But as per usual, I could not leave that alone. I kept looking at the fabric. The night before I was up late reading Collette Wolff's "Art of Fabric Manipulation." The next day's look at the fans on the fabric was a eureka moment. I WOULD SMOCK LITTLE FANS!
The large fan is out of silk dupioni. The smocking design just came out of my head as I went along. I turned under the top edge and whipped it with 3 strands of floss. The center gathers were covered with a little appliqué of dupioni. The orange-y fan is wired ribbon. The little yellow fan is poly satin ribbon. The fans were all hand stitched to the bag side before construction. These were fun to smock and I hope to do more real soon. I thought they really complimented the fabric.

The sides of the bag are interfaced with fusible fleece and a layer of decor bond. The gusset and handle are just decor bond. I was afraid to fuse the DB to the gusset and melt the faux snakeskin or worse yet, maybe make the dye run. So I didn't. I fused two layers of DB to each other and then glue gunned that to the snakeskin. Would I do it that way again? No. It did not give the best results and I promise next time to not let my mania interfere with some experimentation with the fusing. I am thinking next time maybe glueing peltex to the faux. Keep you posted on that experiment.

The lining is a small hot pink quilting cotton print. Nothing unusual but it goes. I just didn't have anything in the stash that I thought was really great and I had plans of doing the next one "just right" so I went for the cotton. The size of the bag does not allow for much variety as far as interior pocketing. I just did the basic square of the pattern. I did do it doubled layer with the top edge on the fold and the pocket sewn wrong sides together and then turned and stitched to the lining. That is such a nicer, stronger pocket application.

Time to move on to the next projects. I did hit Joanns sale yesterday and saw some prescious little cottons to make two pillowcase dresses and diaper covers for Twin Baby Girl. I just cut them out tonite and hope to get them pleated tomorrow. I think that will have to happen after I hit the yard. We are finally having warm, sunny weather and the yard, or rather field, needs my attention. We bought this home new 3 years ago. It is truly in the wilderness and I will post pics of our white water one day. For now, it is try to carve some semblance of a garden from our woods and fields. My first purchase this spring will be some more cultivated raspberries. They do very well here and are so no maintenance. And what a substitute for candy!