All you need is "Love" (and aspirin)

The interesting thing about making anything is that people invariably want it when they see it, but not quite the same.  A lot of times I get "Can you make it the same but bigger/smaller?" or "Can you put in a zipper instead of a mag snap?" or "I want it just like that, but can you take out the pleats, make it more square, have it tie shut, and put in lots of pockets?" So it goes from being a small change to a complete redo.  This particular bag had 2 minor changes but implementing one of them felt like I had put in enough time to have designed the whole durn thing myself.  But projects like this intrigue me because I gather new skills along the way.  As mentioned in my previous post, I had to shorten this bag because this one was entirely too big for every-day use.  Easy-peasy.  The zipper tried to sass me as I tried a few different techniques, but I worked it out in the end.  And I now have this sweet little number to deliver next week:

Modified KwikSew pattern #3749 in Amy Butler's "Love."

The close-ups actually do more justice to the bag as you can't see too much of the detail due to the busy print.

There's that lovely rounded bottom and a side view of some pleated loveliness.

Open or closed this zipper is pretty nifty looking (pats self on back).

I invested in a purse zipper for this project. The longer pull lets you put pretty fabric through it and is easier to get ahold of.

It is definitely a lot of work to give the people what they want, but it's always better to have happy customers who are getting exactly what they want.  My favorite aspect of this little bag-making venture so far is that everyone likes something different. I get to try out different fabric combinations I wouldn't think of or actually get to make what I'm envisioning as it will have a home rather than hanging on the coat rack in the spare room.

And what about the aspirin?  I've gone and injured my neck.  Sometimes I get a kink in it if I've slept funny or did something not quite right in an exercise class. But this one takes the cake.  I pulled it while brushing my teeth.  Yes, by essentially standing still I've gone and gotten a stiff neck for a few days.  Oh, the glamour...