Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Review ~ Swoon Pattern Harriet

If you ask anyone who makes bags, they would all tell you it's a labor of  hard work LOVE!

The creation begins with picking fabrics (the best part for me), then all the cutting and other great details needed to create a beautiful exotic handmade bag/purse. Which is always a great reward at the end.

I stumbled upon Swoon Patterns  almost 2 years ago and this has been the best ride of my life in regards to my Crafting Journey!

The very first bag I sewed was Coraline by Alicia Miller (the creator behind Swoon Patterns). So I know that if I can do it so can you.....
"Coraline" ~ A Swoon Pattern
 made by  Sand Dollar Design Studio 

I am such a die-hard Swoon fan and I know that I am definitely not alone. You can find us all on this Facebook group basking in glory land with each other here - be warned!  ~ the place where all obsessed fans hang out!

Today I am reviewing "HARRIET" from Swoon Patterns (Affiliate Link)

She is described as an Expandable Tote - a midsize bag to transport your day-to-day items and can quickly be converted to a spacious tote by opening the side zippers!

Priced at an affordable $5.95 for the downloadable PDF version and $9.95 for the printed paper version makes this a "MUST HAVE". I particularly love the downloaded PDF versions as I receive them in a blink of an eye after payment.....I'm very impatient when I really want something :-), also patterns pieces can be printed time after time.

Harriet was not a difficult bag to sew especially if you are a seasoned bag maker. It is listed 3/4 on the difficulty scale meaning you should already be somewhat familiar with sewing patterns and common sewing terms. After saying this, let me fill you in on a little secret......Alicia has done such a fantastic job on her patterns that any excited beginner can make her bags ( I know this because I was once in that shoe).


I had such a great time choosing the fabric for this one and I love every detail on this bag.

Harriet measures 12.5" Wide
                              10"  Tall
                       and 4.5" Deep
A great size for carrying all needed items on a day out!

 I went with Tula Pink's Free Fall Fabric in this beautiful Orchid color and accented it with grey Essex Linen. I used gunmetal hardware as I thought it was a perfect subtle match for the fabrics. Check out how easy Rivets work and make your bag look so professional. I also used a magnetic snap for the closure as the pattern called for, but this can be changed to so many other options such as zippers.

I'd say this took me about  5 hours to complete this bag and that includes facebook breaks, cooking, telephone conversation....yes I'm easily distracted especially if it's something to laugh about ~ enjoying life always.

Here is the inside of Harriet with a zippered inside pocket.
Sand Dollar Design Studio

Side Zippers ~ allowing Harriet to transform from a Tote to a Mid-size bag.
Sand Dollar Design Studio


It was an enjoyable sewing quest for me as always. Hop on over and take a look at all the other patterns available on www.swoonpatterns.com.

Have a super fantastic sewing day!
Keshia.