As promised yesterday, here’s the ballet bag I finished the day before:
I made a ballet bag similar to this one for the daughter of a friend of mine last year. Imagine my pleasure when Julie came up to me and asked if I could make a bag “like Florence’s” for her daughter Evelyn. Of course, I can. Sadly, I don’t have a picture of Florence’s ballet bag to show you. I forgot to take pictures, doh. On Julie’s request I made the bag a little bigger as Florence’s really is on the smaller side. I also closed it with a flap rather than just a button to make sure things don’t fly out when the bag is thrown about.
The inspiration for the bag came from this tutorial by Simply Modern Mom. You can see that I changed a few things. First, I designed my own pattern and added darts to give the bag more body. Then I added a flap for closing the bag. I also always use interfacing in my bags to give them more stability and a longer life. I absolutely adore the plaited handle and really wanted to use the idea but didn’t have enough fabric.
Another change was the lining. Florence’s bag was lined conservatively in white. This time I chose a lovely mint green fabric with flowers, dots and butterflies. Not very “ballet” I suppose but I couldn’t help myself. I just hope Evelyn likes it.
There’s a small inside pocket for hair slides and ties and an embroidered initial “E” on the outside.
Instead of embroidery floss I used the sewing thread I used to appliqué the ballet shoes. I started on the outline and then wondered what to do to fill the initial. Stars! Every little girl doing ballet is a star in my eyes.
The shoes are a lovely bright pink with a little ribbon bow. Simple but effective.