Alice Caroline showcased this Cute Animal Bag Pattern on the Sewing Quarter last weekend. It was so popular that I thought you may be interested in being able to buy the pattern for it. Laura from the office has guest designed this gorgeous bag for me. Everyone in the office and the studio has fallen in love with this bag.
It’s a really clever design so that you can either make a cat or a mouse depending on which you, or your loved one, likes the best.
I asked Laura a few questions about designing the bag. She told me a little about the inspiration behind the design. “I have been friends with the amazing and incredibly kind Rima since high school in Australia. We have always had similar interests, followed a similar path, and now we have both moved to England! Rima is in Lancashire and myself in the Cotswolds. There is a bit of distance between us but at least we are still in the same country! She is the closest thing I have to family here in England and I just knew she deserved a great Christmas gift. Also, because she asked for a handmade one (I love that we are close enough friends that she can do that haha) but little did she know I was already working on her handmade gift! Mwahahaha!
Rima has a great love of cats and all things adorable so I designed a floral drawstring backpack with a cute face and cat ears. The great news is, she loved her Christmas gift- phew! It was so cute I thought I’d quite fancy one for myself, too. I am not as big of a cat person as Rima is so I thought about what other animal I could turn the bag into and eventually decided on a mouse!”
“The embroidery of the face details can be done by machine or hand. If using machine, I definitely recommend testing and practising on scrap fabric first to get used to handling the fabric and tracing over the design. I used the sewing machine to create the face details on Rima’s bag and I was so pleased with how nice it looked. The thicker zig zag stitches ensured the face stood out against the busier floral background fabric.”
The detail of the embroidery is really important in this design. As Laura said, it is really worth taking your time and practising it beforehand. The finished result looks great.
“The pattern includes the pattern pieces for the mouse and cat options, so the maker can decide for themselves which version of the bag you would like to make.
On an adult it is a small backpack and on a child it is a good sized backpack. Whether child or adult, the Cat or Mouse Bag has enough inside room for all the essentials and more. It features two inside pockets that are large enough to fit a smartphone, an A6 notebook or other precious items. These bags are made using the Liberty Quilting Cotton on the outside and more quilting cotton fabric as the lining. The quilting cotton is a heavier weight than Tana Lawn and gives the bag greater strength and support.
Designing and making this bag was so much fun! If you do make your own, I hope your cat or mouse bag makes you smile!”
Here you can see the detail of the mouse ear and the contrasting fabric used for the extra detail.
Laura has designed a lovely pocket inside the bag. It is separated into compartments which can handily keep your precious things in order.
You can buy the Cute Animal Bag Pattern here
Happy sewing x
