Olivia Bag

 I just love bags - don't we all?! There is just something about them that completes a look. I especially love getting a good deal on them. This one here I just got the other day for $6! I just love it! It is a little bit bigger than what I normally use, but I still love it just the same. And it would be no fun if I had bags that were all the same kind!

Anyway, I work with the youth in my church and the other night one of them had this bag that I just fell in love with. It was the perfect size for notebooks or school books. It was no too big - but just right! Well I liked it so much I took some rough measurements and went home and made a pattern for it. This is the end result here:

I then got to sewing . . . a couple of interruptions, one sewing machine needle, and a few days later I was done. I was going to leave it plain, but when I laid it out after cutting it, I thought that it looked too plain. So I cut a flower out with my cricut onto contact paper and placed it where I wanted it onto the front part of the bag.

 I then painted it the same color as the inside of the bag.

I then had to very carefully pull the contact paper off and viola! I had a custom stenciled bag. Another cheap and easy stencil. 

 Now that I am looking at it I think that it needs a little something. I am thinking of adding some yellow flowers to the stencil. Those puffy ones that are made out of circles. I am not sure yet though. What do you think, should I leave it as is, or add that little bit extra?

 Here is the inside of the bag, I added a pocket with a zipper - I am not a huge fan of sewing zippers so that was a big step for me. I do like that feature though. And there is a simple magnetic clasp to close it.

I am working out the kinks on the pattern, but if you want one I am going to list it in my Etsy shop when I have it all done.

Linking to the parties in the tab at the top.