I always enjoy pattern testing. There are three people who I have tested for, and I always love the outcome of their projects. For different reasons of course. This is the Lilium Laptop Bag by Sara of Sew Sweetness fame. So far, I’ve tested two bags for her, and enjoyed both processes immensely. The Paparazzi Bag and this one. I’m loving them. They are spacious, they are trendy, and best of all, they’re pretty easy to sew. I would think about making a few alterations based on what I know that I like for my bags, but for a straightforward pattern, the Lilium Laptop Bag is perfect.
As with most of my bags, the first one is always mine. I never really get it “right” the first time, and that used to be discouraging to me. It still kind of is, but the mistakes are little ones that only I see. For instance, the outer portion of the bag is great, as is the lining, but I just didn’t catch about 3 centimeters of seam when I flipped the bag. It’s so annoying when you get ALL the way through a project and realize that it’s not perfect. Oh well. I will definitely be putting one or two of these in my shop, but I don’t know when. They take quite a bit of time, and with the three littles running around, and my continued adventures with homeschooling the ladybug and starting with the twizzlers, it’s been quite a time with finding time to sit and sew.
I haven’t been using this as a laptop bag, since I made the smaller version, but I have been using this as a messenger bag of sorts. You can definitely omit the padding and use it as a carry-all. It’s small enough to not be a bother while running errands and can be used as a crossbody bag.
I do feel that this bag is appropriate for someone with advanced intermediate bag sewing skills. Most of the process included cutting all the different pieces of material. The exterior fabric, the lining, the interfacing, the soft and stable interfacing and the foam padding. I didn’t break any needles, but then again, I haven’t broken needles in a bit of time. *pops collar* I’ll cut another out when life slows down a bit (read: when school is officially out and I’m done with so much travel.) and see if it comes out better. Cross your fingers, but not too tight. 🙂
If you are interested in being able to sew your own version of this, you can always go to Sara’s site, but also know that you can always commission someone >ahem< to make you one.
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