My first Amy Butler Bag-Cosmo Bag

I’ve been working on this book for the last three days and completed it early this morning. It’s my new Cosmo Bag from my Amy Butler book. The main exterior is cotton denim as I want it to be hardwearing (lasak). I used Erin McMorris, Floral Swirl for the second exterior fabric for the trimmings. 

The interior is a scrappy combination of matching fabric. I modified one of the pockets so I get one zippered pocket and two big pockets on the inside. The bag is really big. I can actually put my little girl inside! While I was so engrossed in putting the bag together I totally forgot to attach my favorite item for a big bag, a Key ring strap!!!! Good thing I couldn’t kick myself, otherwise I would have. You know how things can disappear in big bags like this, especially car keys.

Inside view

I used a combination of light weight and medium weight fusible interfacing as I don’t have enough of one type of interface for the whole bag. When I started preparing for the bag, Arwen was down with fever after her vaccination shot so I wasn’t able to move around to get my supplies. After all, there’s no hard and fast rule for crafting, is there? I didn’t put any interface on the exterior panel as the fabric is thicker than the normal cotton. For anybody who’s attempting this bag in the future, my advice is, the lightweight fusible interfacing is sufficient to add body to the bag and easy to handle. I don’t quite know if it’s the equivalent of Pellon ShapeFlex SF101 as stated in the book. I think any thicker, it will make edge/top stitching a nightmare. 

The construction of the bag wasn’t as intimidating as it appears in the book. Maybe because there’s few pictures and a lot of words describing in length the steps to take. I’m more of a visual person, I like pictures. 

One of my labels (yes, I have two on the bag) goes at the bottom right hand corner of the exterior panel. The bag uses a one and a half inch covered button closure. I had the button done at Karysma, Bangi. Can’t wait to use the bag and show it off to my girlfriends.

By the way, I just realized that my blog is one year old on December 21st. After a year, I made great friends among fellow crafters, I have 129 and more followers (some of them just read my blog when I share it in my Facebook but don’t follow officially) and this is my 150th blog post. Wow!!! How cool is that?!!! 

Just in case I don’t make another entry before the year ends, so long 2010. You’ve been good to me. I hope 2011 brings more blessings and good fortune to everybody. 

Happy New Year 2011!!!!