Stand Back & Breathe

I've hit a wall with my new bag. I set out to make something like these. Aren't they fab? I've got beautiful teal green boiled wool for the outer fabric and some colourful Anna Marie Horner for the interior and have coupled them with some zippers from my stash, brass rings from an old bag that was falling apart and 1/4 inch foam for padding. The cord is to insert into the handles. They'd run out of piping cord at my local shop so I am going to have to make do with this.

First, I noted the measurements of the bag I was trying to emulate and made a paper pattern. So far so good. It took a fair bit of thinking through how I was going to actually construct the bag before I started, and the first thing I did was the internal pocket on one side of the lining. I used this great tutorial and I'm really pleased with my little pocket. Next, I ironed interfacing to the lining and the outer fabric, sewed strips of velcro to the lining (there will be a movable divider eventually), and sewed the side seams and all but one of the bottom seams to make two pouches, one in the outer fabric and one from the lining (I've left one side of the bottom lining open so I can turn the bag the right way out once I've sewn the lining to the outer fabric).

With me? You can see that next I slipped the lining pouch, right side facing in, over the pouch in the outer fabric ... and then ... I stopped.

Now I have to sew the zipper to a couple of pieces of outer fabric, form two padded curved strips with the zipper attached, make loops in the outer fabric for the rings and insert all these bits in between the lining and the outer fabric in perfect position, so I can sew around the opening of the bag in one go, turn the lining to the inside of the bag and (hopefully) get onto finishing details like top-stitching and handles. I know. I've lost you. It's fine, I'm stuck too. Sort of paralysed actually. I can't quite get on with it. I'm worried it won't work. Or at least, it'll end up looking homemade, rather than handmade and I'll hate it.

Clearly it isn't a great tactic to just do nothing. This bag isn't going to make itself. But, I've decided that rather than push myself in this state of mind and stuff it up, I'm going to stand back, let it be and trust that one day soon I'll suddenly have a burst of energy and enthusiasm and I'll tackle my bag. I just hope I don't have to wait too long...

On a brighter note, I spent a fantastic afternoon this week cutting glass and assembling some chunks which I'm planning to use for rings and earrings after they're fired (I'll show you when I get them back from the lovely ladies who are firing them for me) and, some faux fur has arrived in the mail for my scarf-cum-stole thingy. The fur and the jewellery shouldn't take too long so I might not get my bag finished in time for my reveal of Outfit 1 - it's February already and I'd love to get the photos done soon ... but I'm really hoping my bag won't be too far away.

So tell me, I'm not the only one am I? What do you do when things get tricky? Dither and procrastinate like me? Throw a wobbly? Or, just plain give up?