Dear Watson

I recently had the privilege to test a wonderful pattern created by Felice Regina, the mastermind behind Sew Scatterbrained. I've been following Felice on Instagram for a while now and I really love what she makes, so when she put out the call for testers for her Dear Watson Bag, I pounced.  

I have to admit, when I sew for myself I am incredibly guilty of cutting corners. I never give myself the time to make something well made for me, I figure "Hey, I'm the only one who will see it!". I think that's why I love patterns- I really have to take my time, read the instructions, and I always learn great new tricks and tips along the way! I spend a lot of my time sewing for other people and I am really tickled to have made this bag for myself. 

For example- my first inside zipper pocket! I could never wrap my head around how these worked, but Felice's instructions were super clear and I got it right the first try! 

The Dear Watson Bag was named such because "It's elementary, My dear Watson", Felice intended it to be a bag that would help new sewers get a true feeling for bag construction. While I am certainly not a new sewer, I do lack experience in structured bag construction, and because of that I really appreciate and love this pattern.  The directions are easy to follow, and I really learned a lot about hardware and interfacing as it pertains to bags. I used slightly different hardware, and next time I am sticking to what was recommended because these were a little difficult to sew around. 

 I think one of the best parts of this bag (besides it's perfect size) is that it's just made out of cotton- and it has such good shape retention and weight! I over-complicated things for myself and used duck for the details, but on my next bag (and I can't wait to make another one!) I plan on sticking to regular cotton for the whole thing. 

I really couldn't recommend this pattern more, There are different options for the handles, pockets, and closures so you can really use this pattern to make your perfect bag. The pattern is available for purchase starting May 2nd through Felice's Craftsy Store .