Swoon Nora

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With kids, I always seem to need more bags! I generally don't like what I find in the store, so that leaves making my own! I have sewn a few Swoon patterns and I love the look of them! Today Carrie reviews the new Nora Doctor Bag and Denita shares her pictures.

When I first saw the pictures of Nora as it was being released I knew it was a bag I wanted to try for myself.  It had a gorgeous shape, one that was different than other bags in my closet and with 3 different sizes I could decide exactly what would work best for my lifestyle right now.  

 

I decided to make the Large option.  As a working mom of 2 (one very young) that is constantly on the go I need a purse that can double as a diaper bag for short trips and still not be too cumbersome.  This fit the bill perfectly!

I had this awesome gray vegan leather from Girl Charlee left over from another project and it was just the right color to use with the camera fabric that i’ve had for awhile so I gave it a shot.  Now, i’ll be the first to say it has a few tiny flaws, but this was only the second time i’ve worked with that leather and I do think it has a bit of a learning curve.

The pattern does reference using vinyl in several areas although I do wish there was a bit more direction around the parts that say to press, because I don’t imagine you would press the vinyl (and I couldn't press my faux leather).  

Overall, the bag construction was very easy to follow and leaves a beautifully finished product.  I especially love how the opening that is left in the lining from turning the bag out is finished with no visible stitching (and WITHOUT hand stitching, which I despise, haha).

One awesome benefit that Swoon offers is hardware kits.  Instead of having order from different places or buying a silver turnlock only to find that you can’t locate matching rectangle rings, you can opt to order a kit that includes all the hardware needed for the selected bag you’re making.  Alicia at Swoon was kind enough to send me the Nora kit and it was so convenient to have everything come at once ready to go.  I will definitely be going this route for all future bags!

Check out Denita's Nora bag. What fabric would you use for this pattern?