Brooklyn Handbag

I’m just a girl looking for the perfect retro handbag. (sigh). I’ve gone through several, and just like the Goldilocks I am, some are too big, or too small, or too complicated. This one is super cute so I had high expectations. And then my girl Jess of Oklaroots did a tutorial video and I thought I was home free…but alas…not quite. I’ve seen so many cute versions of this bag and was excited to use the retro fabric and glitter vinyl I have on this unique design.

The bag comes in two sizes, one is a handbag and one is a travel bag. I liked the look of the handbag better because it’s more square, but as a handbag it’s a really small size (even for me). I decided to just do the short handles so it’s what I call a “Kardasian sit in the crook of your elbow while you’re shopping on Rodeo Drive in your pink sunglasses” kind of bag. Follwing Jess’s modifications I decided to use Decovil light instead of the foam stabilizer. This makes the bag a little easier to work with but in the end I felt like it didn’t have the structure it needed. The end details that fold over and connect with hardware to the bottom of the bag and very unique but really difficult to construct. This is one of the last steps and it really had me swearing up a storm. It was very fiddly and hard to manhandle under my machine. And because I was using vinyl it was even more difficult to sew around (even with the teflon foot). This is where a rivet press would really come in handy! But I haven’t invested in one of those yet. By the time I went to attach the handles to the bag I realized that they weren’t long enough to slide over your arm. I wound up remaking them longer which wasted some of my precious glitter vinyl. I wish I had looked closer at that in the beginning when I was cutting pieces out.

All in all it’s a cute bag but just too small and too slouchy where the ends fold down. I’m sure if I made another one with the foam it would turn out more sturdy but just not sure I have it in me to wrestle with those side triangles again! I would also want to increase it to about 120%. Swoon has another retro pattern, the Blanche Bag, that has a similar shape without the side accents. I think I’ll see if that one will fulfil my retro dreams better before I attempt this one again!

The Details:
Pattern: Brooklyn Handbag by Swoon
Zippers: #5 turquoise zipper tape with silver metallic by My Handmade Space
Interfacing: SF101 and Decovil Light
Finished bag size: Medium - 8.5”w x 5.5”t

Fabrics
Exterior: Cheer from Tinsel Christmas by Clairice Gifford
Interior: Greetings from Tinsel Christmas by Clairice Gifford
Accents: Turquoise Glitter Vinyl from Sew Sweetness

Video Tutorial by Jess of Oklaroots