Actually A Mermaid Purse - True Story! The Sandra Saddle Bag by Swoon

I have started collecting embroidery files along with fabric and purse patterns...and most of them could coordinate to make some awesome purses!  When I have no projects in the "MUST FINISH ASAP" pile, I'll randomly browse my Pinterest boards for inspiration.  (I try to pin every file I buy, but I'm sure I missed a few...hundred?)  Or I sit in front of my fabric stash looking for inspiration.  Sometimes both!  This time I decided that the first thing that caught my eye would be the inspiration for my next project.   The applique is from Bobbin For Appliques, and was so clean and easy to stitch!  I knew I had mermaid fabric, but for embroidery to really pop, it needs to be on a less busy fabric...or REALLY bold!

My standard tree pic...If we ever move, I'm going to have to find another tree!

You can kind of see how the vinyl actually has a tie dye effect

In my fabric browsing, I pulled out all my mermaid stuff, and then happened to realize that the Tula Pink Mosaic fabric looks kind of like scales...AND it perfectly matched one of my mermaid fabrics!

Once I had the fabrics, then it was time to pick out the purse pattern.  I knew I wanted something with a flap, to show off the embroidery, and I'd never made the Sandra pattern yet, so that was the lucky winner!  It also helped that I had printed it out at some time in the past when I thought about making it but never did, so I had the pieces ready to cut out.  Now that I've done one, I feel like I could whip up another one even faster!

It's the angle that makes the flap look so huge, I promise it's actually smaller than the bag!

I decided to leave off the little magnet flap piece, and move my magnet to the inside of the flap so that I didn't block any of the embroidery!  I installed the other side of the magnet to the outer pocket, as I made it and moved it up slightly, but I used the pattern piece as my guide to get the placement in about the right spot.

Inside

Crabs!

Front slip pocket

The purse only has a slip pocket under the flap, and a zippered pocket inside, but it's not a HUGE purse, so if you did too many more pockets it would get crowded!  I might add another slip pocket on the back for the next one, or maybe at least a pen pocket to the inside since pens seem to disappear in my purses...

Cross body strap is adjustable!

I resisted the urge to add anything to the back...this time.  Next time, totally going to have at least a slip pocket!

Definitely a purse that will go on my list for craft show sewing!  I need to get some time to make another one - I have an embroidery pattern that says "I'm Actually an Evil Genius" and I have some awesome science and math fabrics to go with it...I might need to keep that one for me!  ;)

This purse can be yours!  Check it out in the Etsy shop!