India By Swoon - Hobo Bag

I saw this pattern a few times, but it never really caught my eye.  I like things with more structure and shape, and a slouchy hobo bag seemed too 'easy' so I never even put it on my list.  This year my son had an AMAZING teacher that totally got him and they just clicked in the best way.  His teacher gives off a mellow and relaxed vibe, like a hippie, so when he picked the hobo bag for her, I wasn't really surprised.  I think it will fit her style perfectly and he even picked out the fabric, some from my stash that is an older Alison Glass print I found at the quilt show this year.
 

The front fabric matches the sunflowers!

Back has a zipper with the handmade pull and the fun and colorful fabric!

Strap is long enough to very comfortably go cross body on a 'not skinny' 5' 6" person.  ;)

He also wanted embroidery, first he wanted a peace sign and the world, but when I couldn't find exactly what he was imagining, he saw the "Oh Deer" and knew that had to go on the purse.  I talked him out of even more embroidery (running out of time and not sure how it would look on the fabrics), so it just has the one panel.  The purse is reversible, but I think she will probably keep the fun side out!

Interior is a coordinating Alison Glass print, very mellow compared to the colorful outside!

His original specifications were "Large bag and colorful, with embroidery" and I think we nailed it!

Urban Threads came through for me again with an awesome design!

The "Oh Deer" embroidery is the largest one I could fit in my 6x10" hoop, and I did the large size of the India bag.  I was amazed at how comfortable the strap turned out, it's just the perfect length for a cross body bag, and the wider section means that it doesn't cut into your shoulder!  I may end up making one of these for myself eventually...with a zipper or flap top and more pockets.  ;)

Open top doesn't work for me, but it is super deep so it won't accidentally dump out!

The best part was that this was a FAST purse to sew! I did it in about 4-5 hours in one sitting (embroidery was done a day earlier) and I think I could do another one even faster if I wasn't trying to get things like flowers and embroidery centered!  If you need a fast and easy gift, I can recommend the India by Swoon!

The only changes I made to the pattern was to put the zipper and slip pockets on opposite sides, and instead of leaving the lining open, I cut the bottom of the inside pocket and turned through that.