“Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland” is one of the more popular creation themes among handicraft artists. Do you remember that we once featured the fabric collections named “nunokara x Etsuko Furuya ~ Alice in Wonderland” in our Textile Story column? The collection, which is great for apparel or bags, has been preferred by many creators for their sewing projects because of its bilateral look of a girly sweetness and a grown-up taste.
A popular craft blogger Yuki Inomata a.k.a. neige+, is one of those who enjoys creating various items with the fabric collection. The crossbody bag in the above picture is what Inomata recently made as requested by her tween daughter who had liked the “Alice” print. Sewn with leather, this bag is not childish anymore.
“I used a dark brown faux leather to make the bag look better in appearance. I tried but failed to topstitch (to achieve a professional look) on the leather flap. It was not easy to sew parallel to a seam on the right side of the leather. But I still flatter myself that I did my best.” Inomata says with a smile.
The faux leather is a user-friendly material that can be sewn on the domestic sewing machine. “Faux leather is a pile fabric with a nonwoven backing. This feature does not cause you any difficulty in sewing faux leather and cotton fabric together. However, it was really difficult for me to stitch on the right side of one faux leather layered over another (faux) leather. Hopefully I will find a solution through trial and error.” (by Inomata)
As well as the leather, the antique brass thumb catch on the flap creates a mature impression. According to Inomata, the thumb catch is her favorite item to sew on when making a wallet. She continues, “Last January, I took my daughter to a quilt show. When she saw an accordion wallet bag at the site, she told me she really liked it. Since creating an accordion bag was too challenging for me, I decided to make this standard bag that I was familiar with.”
To add cuteness to the bag, she used a lace ribbon. “I just sewed a lace ribbon on the acrylic webbing for the shoulder strap. Then it became remarkably lovely!” (by Inomata)
Moreover, Inomata was particular about its size so that even adult can use this crossbody bag. She proudly explains, “The greatest appeal of this bag is that it completely accommodates a long wallet. Don’t you have an experience that you chose to buy a bag by its appearance, but actually it was too small to put your long or even folded wallet in? Recalling my own experience and my daughter’s original order for an accordion wallet bag, I kept an enough width for the bag to contain a long wallet.”
This bag abounds in her ingenuity. Surprisingly there is a hidden zipper pocket in the lining of the bag. The red “Rabbit” dot print from the same fabric collection is used for the pocket. A breathtakingly bright red color shows up when the pocket is unzipped. Aren’t you curious about how the inside of the bag is? Click HERE for details about this “Alice” crossbody bag.
You can get more information about Inomata’s creative activity at http://yunyuns.exblog.jp
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