I almost had the bama bag completed then Marisa from sewing tote bags and purses shared a free bag pattern that she tested for her friend and I thought my bama bag was way too big so I had to borrow this pattern. I did stretch the bag shape to fit the "A" applique and I also took the pattern and adjusted it so that the front would have a few handy pockets to stash a cell phone or keys for quick grabs. But this is it!! no more adjustments needed!! Thanks Marisa and her friend Chris Welsh for sharing the Coco bag pattern.
I found an Alabama A that would work as an appliqué on this custom order. It has a grey border that was appliquéd first then I added the BAMA print and appliquéd it over the top. I stitched both on my Juki HZL f600 using the blanket stitch.
This is the outer shell of the bag, I took Chris Welsh's bag and altered it a bit, I cut the bottom off added 2 inches to the height and then stretched the pattern top to then fit the re-created bottom. I took the faux pockets and made them usable by putting an exact copy of the front 3 times one for the front and two for the pocket lining, right sides together of course. Chris's pattern also called for large grommets to attach the handles, I am not familiar with using grommets so I chose to add sewn in straps. The lining of the bag has a layer of stiff interfacing to help the bag stand up and retain its shape, Chris' s pattern called for light weight interfacing. I cut my stiff double sided interfacing about a 1/4 inch smaller in diameter so I could sew the seems without the fabric bunching and fighting me too much. I also used a thin batting to the outer side of the double sided thick fusible interfacing because it can be quite hard to the touch, I wanted softness with keeping the shape. The inner lining of the bag featured 2 zippered pockets as well as a cell phone pocket and an ink pen tab.
Although I very much love Chris Welsh's design, I love the altered version as well! The husband brought his wife and daughter with him to pick up this bag and another, I also made a custom diaper bag for his daughter but that's another blog post :) she absolutely loved it! I wrapped it in a clear cellophane bag from Nashville wraps and tied it with Alabama ribbon purchased from an ebay shop. This bag is now 2 years old and still very much loved!!
