Handmade Christmas: Becky's Bag

This Christmas saw the second round of 'Homemade Secret Santa' in my office, organised by...me! I decided last year that, rather than spending money on a gift which entailed little thought, it would be nice if all the Secret Santa gifts were homemade. Last year we had about 20 participcants and this year about 35 took part, which I was really pleased with. The rules were quite relaxed, stating that the gift could be homemade by someone else (eg. purchased on Etsy or at a local craft fair), the primary idea being to support homemade and discourage mass consumerism.
This year I was to give a gift to Becky, one of the girls in our Graphics Team. Becky's young with great taste and a unique and well defined sense of style. She's also a fellow crafty chick, so I knew she would appreciate something a bit special and I knew just what to make her.

I absolutely love this range of fabrics by Joel Dewberry, particularly the trees on a yellow background. (I've already earmarked some more of this fabric for a set of cushions for my living room!).I drafted the pattern for the bag based on the dimensions of a shoulder bag I was given in a swap a few years ago. My plans for this began very simply, but I gradually added more detail to the design. The bag is interlined with a layer of bamboo quilt batting and then the bottom section is quilted in a contrasting coloured cotton. The top of the bag is also topstitched in a second colour of contrasting cotton.

Inside the bag is a large pocket and I also added a keychain. I'm delighted with this bag and I'm planning a similar version for myself with a few additional details. I'm happy to say that Becky was delighted with her Secret Santa gift as well (although she guessed it was made by me straight away, so Santa wasn't so Secret after all)!