Convertible Reversible Bag Tour With Cozy Nest Designs--and a Giveaway!!

Hello, and welcome to my happy little hive! If you've been here before, skip to the next paragraph, haha. If you haven't, I'm Bethany ('Bee'), and I love to make things. Crochet is close to my heart as I spent a happy winter vacation beside my grandma as she taught me, but sewing is where I invest most of my time. Some of my favorite things to make are bags and purses of all shapes and sizes. The possibilities are endless, they're totally functional, and they don't have to fit. I hope you'll stick around for a bit and maybe come visit again.

I was asked to participate in this blog hop with Cozy Nest Designs to make the Convertible Reversible bag. I've never been in one before, and I hesitated as I wasn't sure what or how much would be required of me or if I would end up making a mess of the whole thing. But once I saw some pictures of this bag I said "Count me in!" I absolutely had to know how this thing was managed. I consider myself not a total dunce at figuring things out, but I am still wondering how Sarah made this happen.

The great thing about this pattern is that you get four looks from one pattern. That's awesome sauce! To accomplish this there are quite a few pieces that need to be cut out, but Sarah has very helpfully included labels with the pattern so you can keep everything straight. It was oddly satisfying to see the pile of pieces disappearing as the pattern progressed. This pattern is certainly not for beginners--it helps to have experience reading patterns, sewing zippers, and all that jazz. But if you've got a few things under your belt you should be successful. The pattern also contains live links to other tutorials for certain steps that may seem a little bit hairy to get through. I'll have you know I used my seam ripper once, and that was because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. So if you take your time and follow the directions you'll be fine.

OK, now onto my version of the bag. First, we have a basic bag that can be a clutch, a makeup bag, or a crossbody bag.

To the right you see a tab loop--that's where I can clip the strap (adjustable) if I want.

Even in its more 'collapsed' version this is still plenty roomy for essentials. Now, let's say I need it to be a bit larger. All I'd have to do is unzip the zipper all the way. Peeking into the bottom of the bag I'd see a zipper laying across the bottom and would naturally think "What is that doing there?" Pull that out, and the bag extends to its full size, with tab loops for your strap to attach at the top.

That part in the middle where the zipper is can be folded down or up (as I have it). D-rings were optional for attaching the swivel hooks, so I opted out of those and simply clipped onto the tab itself.

So where are the other two bags? OK, get a load of this. When the bag is fully extended, you unzip the zipper across the top and then turn the whole thing inside out to reveal the next bag.

This fabric reminds me of a shirt I had at some point in my teenage years so I had to get it. This side of the bag shows the magnetic snap when it's fully extended. There are directions within the pattern to make snap covers so it looks cuter and more finished.

Now for the final bag. All you do is make sure this one is zipped across the top, and then fold the top down inside the bottom, similar to the other side. Once it's tucked all nice and neat, you simply bring your flap over and voila! Nifty little clutch!

I'm still pretty stinkin' amazed at how this came together. If I had thought ahead I would have chosen fabrics that could have shared a strap so I would only have had to make one (and would have one less to lose, hahaha), but I really wanted the bags to be as different as I could get them. This would be an excellent bag for vacation--four looks and only one thing to pack. The pattern even shares instructions for a vinyl insert to keep everything nice and clean for when it gets turned every which way. This pattern is really quite a good value. You can score yourself a copy here. If you hurry (and by hurry I mean do it by tomorrow) you can receive 25% off the price by using the code bagtour at checkout. This deal ends tomorrow (August 2nd) so hurry if you're interested.

And now, how about a little giveaway? Yes, you say? Excellent! Sarah has generously provided prize packages for us to offer to you folks every day. See the Rafflecopter business below, and get entering for your chance to win some fun stuff!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was not financially compensated for this post. I received the pattern at no charge in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience. For my complete disclosure policy, click here.