queen of the week: amélie's DIY bag

What is the story behind your bag?

On Instagram, I stumbled across this guy who was showing his followers how to make this bag, I liked the unique pattern the bag has so I asked him in DMs for the specific measurements and instructions on how to make the bag.

Why did you start sewing?

My mother used to be a fashion designer so I grew up with a sewing machine in my house, thus I always wanted to learn how to sew. I started with short sleeve shirts and now sew jackets (photo of jacket Amélie sewn below) and bags too.

What is your inspiration for making your own outfits/fashion accessories?

Fashion influencers wise, I follow a lot of French Independent brands, @sampleprojects is one of them, he doesn't release things often but he has a youtube channel and documents his making process. I also follow this french brand called oldtimefever, who up-cycles. He gets blank clothes and uses serigraphy to create more long lasting designs than flocking, which stays on the surface and wears off more easily. Thereby increasing the longevity of his designs.

What process did you go through the make your bag?

I made the pattern on paper, and adjusted the dimensions so my MacBook will fit. I then went to a fabric store to get fabric, although the fabric wasn't second handed I always make sure to buy just enough fabric to make my designs. in the cases where there are leftover fabric I use them to make other things.

Have you made things for others?

My friend studies architecture, and she couldn't find a bag that fits the A3 papers she uses for architecture designs, thus I made a bag for her, which was supposed to be a surprise, but I ended up working on it with her as I wanted to be sure of the dimensions. Unfortunately, my sewing machine is in my hometown, which is located elsewhere from my University, thus I don't often have the chance to create designs for others.