The Uptown Hobo Bag & Giveaway

In the past week, I have officially tested out four new patterns for different designers!  What fun I've had!

One pattern is the Uptown Hobo Bag from Rose at the blog Rose Is A Rose.  The Uptown Hobo Bag is her first purse pattern up for sale, and I am so honored to be able to help her out with testing.

Rose did a wonderful job of creating a stylish, spacious, and very functional bag.  It's roughly 14" wide, 11" tall, and 4" thick.  Believe me.  You can put a lot of stuff inside this bag, and the large flap helps keep it all safe and sound.  I've been using mine for the last several days now and I absolutely love it!

The pattern pieces are simple and clearly marked, making it a cinch to cut out all the fabric and interfacing required.  Rose then guides you through each step of constructing the bag, including installation of either a magnetic snap or turn lock for the closure, with detailed written instructions and labeled photos.  She really did an excellent job putting the whole package together!

For my Uptown Hobo Bag, I used quilting cotton for the exterior and reinforced it with a layer of Shape Flex interfacing and fusible fleece.  The lining is made of duck cloth with no additional interfacing added to it.  I've used duck cloth as the lining of the last two bags I've made, and I love how it holds up!

For the purse strap, I used some marine vinyl fabric that I purchased as a remnant at Joann's.  It's very supple and looks and feels like real leather.  This was my first experience in sewing with vinyl, and I can definitely attest that it was a challenge.  Rose's pattern does not call for leather or vinyl to be used, so you won't find any tips or tricks on how to sew it in there!  I just searched the web and  used some advice offered up in another bag pattern I tested at the same time (that I'll share with you soon).  I think the vinyl was a nice addition to my version of the bag, and I would use it again for a bag strap like this one.

On the interior of the bag, I kept things simple and only included a slip pocket for my phone and mints.  I debated whether or not to add a zippered pocket to the exterior that I could keep my phone or keys in for quick access, but opted to just stick to the pattern this time!  However, Rose does offer up full instructions for how to install an optional zipper pocket to the interior of the bag.

Overall, the Uptown Hobo Bag was a simple, straightforward purse project that offered up instant gratification.  I was able to complete this bag start to finish in one afternoon.  It's definitely a project suitable for a novice purse sewer or an intermediate beginner.

Would you like to try making your own Uptown Hobo Bag?  Then either hop on over to Rose's blog to purchase your own copy of the new pattern, or enter my contest below for a chance to win a copy.  Thanks for stopping by!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This bag has been featured on the following blog parties: