Simplicity 0386 or 2205 Sweet Pea Tote

UPDATE!
This bag has just been featured by KoJo Designs.  If you are visiting here by way of Kirstin and Jordan's blog, then thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll come back again and follow along on my sewing adventures!

I finished up another great Sweet Pea Tote bag last weekend, but I hadn't taken any pictures of it until today.  There were several things I needed to photograph, including Ella in a new outfit, and although it was a beautiful day here, my photos just didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

Hopefully, you can look past all the flaws of my photography and see this wonderful bag!  It really is quite nice, and I am again very impressed with the bag design and pattern by Sweet Pea Totes sold by Simplicity as Pattern 0386 or 2205.  Like the last Sweet Pea Tote I made, I picked up this pattern at Joann's on sale for just $1.  (BTW, Joann's is having another sale on Simplicity patterns starting on Feb. 17th).

I used some of my Heirloom by Joel Dewberry fabrics (Rose Bouquet in Sky and Tile Flourish in Garnet) that I picked up for a great deal just before Christmas at Modern Fabric Studio .  I love, love, love this fabric and just ordered some more with a gift certificate I won there.  I hope you all like this fabric as much as I do, because you will definitely see it again in the coming days as I post about some other items I've made.

This bag went together pretty easily; however, I made a mistake (the pattern shows it correctly and I didn't follow them as I should have) and sewed a couple of the pleats in the wrong direction.  At first, I thought it was no big deal, but after I attached the top band, I realized that the pleats on the edge were meant to be folded toward the outside.  So, I grabbed my handy dandy seam ripper and picked out just enough of the seam to flip the pleats.  Now I will always (hopefully) check my pleat direction before basting and attaching other pieces!

Unlike the first Sweet Pea Tote I made, this bag has a flap that completely covers the bag opening.  It is secured with a magnetic closure.  Sorry I didn't get a picture of the inside of the bag, but the lining is made from a coordinating solid pink cotton fabric with a large pocket.

The strap was a little more difficult to make than on the other bag because the interfacing made it so stiff that it was hard to turn inside out after sewing it together.  I struggled with it for probably 15 minutes and even had to use some small pliers to help pull the ends out!

All in all, I think this is a great, medium sized purse.  It's definitely one that I plan on making again!

Now, I've got one more Sweet Pea Tote that is almost finished.  I just need to run to Joann's to pick up the hardware called for on the pattern and sew the handles on it.  Both Michael's and Walmart (stores closer to my house than Joann's) don't carry purse making supplies anymore.  What a bummer!

And here is a sneak peak at an upcoming post!  The fabric is familiar, but can you guess what it is?

Also, I've got a contest going on right now.  You can enter here for a chance to win this cute Little Wallet I made using more of the Joel Dewberry fabric.