Burgundy bestie bag

From deadstock waxed cotton

I’ve written previously about two other Blackbird Fabrics Bestie bags I’d made - a leather one for my Mum and a black ripstop one for my bestie. The leather was recycled from my parents old dining room chairs and the black ripstop was an old waterproof jacket of Andrew’s. I was really pleased by how both of these came out, so I set about making a third one for me. I’ve had a burgundy waxed cotton in my stash for a while now, bought from arkdefo, who specialise in deadstock waxed cotton. If I can’t thrift fabric then I try to buy secondhand or deadstock, rather than new.

As a side note; please enjoy my Attenbrrrrr! Christmas climate change themed sweater. I bought it a couple of years ago off Vinted, it’s far to big for me but too amazing to pass up. David Attenborough is one of my heros, I’ve watched him on TV since being a child, and he was one of my inspirations to take a career in science. He definitely encouraged my early interest in animals and the natural world, and I’m lucky enough to own two items signed by him. What a legend.

Back to the topic at hand, I’ve written previously about how I’ve quilted the waxed cotton lining, over on my post about sewing a reusable cutlery roll. I did the same for this bag, quilting the silk kimono remnant onto the salmon pink quilting lining. This stops the wax from the waxed cotton bleeding through onto the lining fabric, but also gives me the look I want from the lining fabric. Salmon pink isn’t really my style, it came in a bundle with the waxed cotton, but it is practical to have that extra layer. It acts as a stabiliser for the silk, as well as blocking the wax bleeding. The silk is a remnant from my friend Moira, who kindly gifted me some vintage kimono fabric. It was a long, thin piece of fabric, so I had to piece it together to create the pattern pieces for the lining. Luckily, the seams are buried in the bottom of the bag and you can’t see them when you’re guddling around looking for your keys.

I used a strip of thrifted leather for the zipper pull. I really like that detail, it looks professional, and makes opening and closing the bag that bit easier.

My main beef with this version is the waxed cotton has folded itself in half along the length of the strap, which looks untidy in my opinion. In retrospect, I think interfacing the strap pieces would have helped minimise this happening, but I thought the waxed cotton was sturdy enough by itself. Lesson learned.

There’s not much more to say here, that I haven’t said before about this bag. It’s a nice, straightforward sew, with minimal fuss and maximum practicality. Just my kind of pattern! I love that it’s a pattern I can make for gifts, given it needs no fitting. It doesn’t take much fabric, meaning you can use scraps and remnants from other projects (or leftovers from old waterproofs!). I love a pattern that lends itself to reusing textiles, and this one would be perfect to make with the fabric from an old cushion cover or pair of curtains. Let me know if you make it yourself, I would love to see your version!