Grand Revival Flea Market Bag

Trying to make as many little projects as I can before the baby comes (due date: September 9th), I sewed up the Grand Revival Flea Market Bag last night. It seemed like it would be simple enough, with only 2 pattern pieces. I made several modifications to the instructions, though. I used fusible fleece interfacing for the lining (I used a mid-weight Amy Butler cotton print, Full Moon Sky from the Lotus line, for the interior), and for the exterior used fusible woven interlining (the exterior fabric is Amy Butler Nigella Water Lotus in Spinach). The pattern called for sew-in interlining instead. I also modified the pockets from the instructions.

Overall, this pattern would be easy enough for someone beginning at sewing. The instructions were clear. However, I found it slightly awkward to finish the raw edges of the handles and corners of the bag at the very end. I would rather have sewn the handles right sides together somewhere in the middle of finishing the bag, instead of pressing them under 1/2 inch at the end and just topstitching them. Maybe that's just me.

I would definitely use this sewing pattern again, perhaps to make the smaller bag, as this patterns allows for 4 different styles of bag (8 in all, if you count that it can also be made with petal/tied straps).