Bag of the Month Club - Gabby by Emmaline Bags

I have to admit, Janelle from Emmaline Bags is one of my favorite designers.  Not only do I love her 'bag bling' but she has great patterns that I can make over and over without getting bored!  She is the mastermind behind the NCW (Necessary Clutch Wallet) that I've made nine (is that all?) of already, and now with this new pattern, I can see this one being added to my 'go to' list.  The construction looks a lot more difficult than it is, so you end up with a nice sized bag that is very stylish!

I was able to sew this bag, from cut to finish in 2 interrupted days...even with sewing the first pieces together upside down and searching 20 minutes for my misplaced fabric (which was right where I left it, in a zip lock planned for another purse)  so it's really a fast sew!

The panels are the same design but different colors for the sections, so I made sure to pick my favorites to show - blues, purples, and greens!

It has a top zipper closure, plus 2 more zippered pockets and slip pockets, so a good amount of organization!  I might try another one with an outside slip pocket, just because it's so handy to be able to throw coupons and receipts into a pocket where they won't disappear into the abyss of the inside of my purse...  And the strap is meant as a shoulder strap, but I prefer cross body, so I made it longer.  Of course, I somehow was out of my adjusters in the right size and didn't realize it until after I was nearly finished, but my strap ended up being just long enough to work as cross body without adjusting, so I skipped it for now.   If the strap seems too short, I may go back and replace it, but I'm just happy to have a new purse for myself to use!  It seems like lately I've been doing purses for the etsy shop and craft shows instead of for myself, which was the original reason I started sewing purses!

Outside zipper pocket, perfect for my car and house keys, plus a few little other odds and ends I NEED to have handy!

I even remembered to put my Handmade bling on it for once!  I love these script labels, they seem to give it just a little extra touch to make it look more professional.  I may even add another one to the top zipper, or would that be too much 'handmade'-ness?  Maybe I'll try a zipper pull from a charm instead...

The side gusset is the same background print as the main fabric, but in a gorgeous blue!

The zipper pulls are pretty as well...I need to order more!

Teal Galifreyan looking symbols make me happy!

The slip pockets are deep enough to hold my pen, I should have done a 1" divide to keep it in place...next time!

Inside I used another Alison Glass sun print - it reminds me of Doctor Who and Galifrey - almost like the writing!  It's my little nerd nod since I didn't have a place for embroidery on this fabric.

I had my short assistant take a picture of me wearing the purse, so you can see it's a good size!  She at least got the purse in focus this time!

Ok, now back to the Serendipity Hip Sew along, hopefully I can avoid distractions for at least a week to get caught up!  Oooh, what's that pretty fabric over there....