Wholecloth Patterns – Fairmount Bag

Wholecloth released the Fairmount Bag last week, and I was so happy to be one of the people to test the pattern. I don’t do pattern testing very much anymore, but when I saw the Fairmount Bag, I really wanted to make it.

I’m signed up to get the newsletter from Caroline of Un-Fancy, and back in December she shared a bag that looks so much like the Fairmount (photo below).

I really enjoyed making this bag, and at this part of my bag making journey, most of my frustrations with bag making are from not having enough practice. Honestly, my struggles while making this bag were pretty minimal. Like, when I pulled the second side of the strap out after sewing it and the pattern said I was finished and could give it a good press, I said out-loud, “That’s it?” Haha.

So, as a very amateur bag maker, I can say that Kristi did a fantastic job with the instructions and illustrations. I made my own piping for the first time (it shows you how in the instructions). It wasn’t hard to sew the piping into the bag, but I did have to go back and adjust one of the ends because it was bulging out too much.

I was very glad that I had my Heavy-Duty Singer machine because making my Brother machine go through all of the layers would have made me nervous.

This maroon fabric is a twill from Divazus, and I LOVE it. It has a slight shine to it, so it makes it difficult to photograph, but it’s really beautiful in person. The pattern calls for at least 8oz fabric, but this was only about 6oz, so I used some medium weight interfacing from Wawak. I also got all of the hardware (in the color ‘gunmetal’) and nylon zipper from Wawak. Can you believe how well that zipper matches?!

One of my favorite things about this project was picking the lining fabrics. I have so many scraps from past projects, and I haven’t had a way to use them…until now! Both fabrics that I used for the lining and bias tape are cotton fabrics from Fibers to Fabric. They always have the best fabric prints, and I was happy to add some prints to the inside of this bag.

I’ve worn my bag to the park a few times now, and it’s the perfect bag now that I’m out of the diaper stage with my kids. There’s plenty of room for my wallet, phone, keys, some snacks, a small pack of wet wipes (for my messy 3-year-old), and even a small water bottle.

It’s so comfortable to wear and I’m already planning to make it in other colors. Right now, the Fairmount Bag is on sale for 20% off until tomorrow (February 23). If you have any questions or comments, let me know!

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