The textile box!

The textile box! A great project by Lotte Martens & Le Chaperon Unlimited. 13 unique Lotte Martens prints to sew small projects or to pimp bigger ones. I got the chance to try 4 prints. Two fabrics that beautifully matched where used to make this small handbag.

I combined the Angola Jersey (pocket flap) with the Bakajev Sweater (lining) with some real leather that I bought about 1,5 years ago at Abilmente (a big crafts fair in Italy).

This project was a big adventure. Combining 3 amazing fabrics in one project. No pattern, just 3 smal pieces of fabric to start from. And no sewing experience with leather at all. My god what was I thinking?

At first I folded the Bakajew sweater fabric in two. So give the bag some depth, I added two corners at the bottom. Just enough to place my purse on the bottom of the bag. I repeated these steps with the leather for the outside.

Since the front view of the bag became a trapezium, I also folded the Angola jersey  in two and created once again a trapezium. (A small note: the print of this fabric is just one colour: silver. Because of the sun it seems like it has all colours of the rainbow, but that’s just because of the reflection.)

For the straps I’ve cut long leather pieces that I’ve sewn together and trimmed next to the sewing line afterwards. No idea is this is a good way to do this, but it turned out ok (not perfect, but ok ;) )

The flap is closed with two small magnets.

The last step was the most difficult one. I had to close the bag. I didn’t want to top stitch the bag as I was afraid to ruin the whole project. So I kept a turning hole and only topstitched the back side. This way you don’t see any stitch lines (apart from the ones on the straps) when I’m wearing it. Exactly what I wanted!

For a first bag project, without plan or pattern and only 2 hours time, I’m really happy with the outcome. Now that I’ve taken these pictures I can finally start using it! Yes!

Do you like these fabrics and would you love to read more about the fabric box? Hop over to Le Chaperon Unlimited for more info! The box includes 13 Lotte Martens prints and costs 149euro. A perfect way to add a touch of  Lotte Martens to all your projects. :)