The bag we have styled for Regina’s nemesis and Cady’s on-and-off friend, Janis, is our Aurora bag. This bag, with a little added edge, is perfect for the artistic punk rocker.
This version of the Aurora is made with pebble faux leather. We have also added a pocket on the exterior and embellished it with small antique rivets.
Like the bag feet embellishments, you can truly place the rivets anywhere you would like to make a design all your own. When planning, know that the rivets do not hammer completely flat, so anywhere you feature the rivets, you want to make sure that there is enough width to take up the space of the rivets.
In addition to the great lining, we wanted to add a little extra Janis rocker style by adding a guitar strap webbing with our Make-A-Strap pattern instead of a matching strap as written in the pattern.
SEWING INSTRUCTIONS
Cutting Notes:
Note Regarding Adjusting Seam Allowances
Add Exterior Pocket with Rivet Embellishment:
To help with the pocket placement, we marked one Piece A panel for Handle Placement right after attaching the fleece.
- Cut (1) 7" by 7" (17.8cm by 17.8cm) for Exterior Slip Pocket from Main Fabric
- Cut (1) 7" by 7" (17.8cm by 17.8cm) for Exterior Slip Pocket from Lining Fabric
- With Right Sides Together, align the outer edges of the Exterior Slip Pocket Pieces. Sew together with 1/4" (6mm) seam allowance, leaving a 3" - 4" (7.6cm - 10.2cm) opening along one side for turning.
- Angle trim corners and turn Right Side Out. Press the seam edges (use a seam roller or finger press for faux leather fabrics). Topstitch 1/8" and 3/8" (3mm and 10mm) from top seam edge.
- Topstitch 3/8" (10mm) from the remaining three pocket edges. Note: use a little piece of double-sided basting tape to hold the seam allowances of the turning opening shut.
- Position Pocket on one Main Piece A. We centered the pocket between the placement lines and the bottom edge of the bag, but Janis would place her pocket wherever she wanted. Tape in place with washi tape and topstitch the sides and bottom edge of the Pocket, with 1/8" (3mm). Don’t worry about the lining peeking out, we think this gives a little extra “pop” and would be a perfect opportunity to pick a fabric that really stands out.
- Mark and install rivets centered between the topstitching rows along the sides and bottom of the pocket. We started at the corners and then filled in between.
Make & Attach Handles
We marked one Piece A Main Panel earlier, so remember to mark the second Piece A Panel.
- Skip steps 1 and 2 in the pattern, follow step 3 to mark each Main Fabric Piece A Main Panel.
- With Right Sides Together, place the Webbing Handle ends 1/2" (1.2cm) above the lower marked line. The ‘loop’ of the Handle is below the line.
- Sew across webbing, 1/2" (1.2cm) from each raw end of the Handle.
- Fold the Handle up, along the stitching. Follow step 4 to complete attaching the Handle and repeat the steps for the remaining Handle and Main Piece A.
Prepare & Attach Base
- Follow steps 1 and 2 in the pattern.
- Additional Option: if you have extra fleece, cut a Base piece of the fleece following the cutting instructions for Piece C. Center the Fleece over the Wrong Side of the Base, covering the Heavy Stabilizer and optional bag feet. This extra layer will add a little cushion to the interior of the bag.
Assemble Exterior & Lining
- Use a 3/8" (10mm) seam allowance for sewing the sides together in step 1.
- Leave about 6” - 7” unsown for the turning opening in the lining, the larger opening is easier for turning the faux leather through.
We can’t wait to see your added pockets and embellishments! Watch the video tutorial series for all these stylish pattern hacks!
Happy Sewing!
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