Convertible/Reversible Bag Tour and Giveaway!

I am so excited I can't see straight.  Seriously.  I'm helping kick off a blog tour for an amazing pattern for the Convertible/Reversible Bag that I helped test for Cozy Nest Design, and it includes a giveaway AND a discount code for the pattern!  My four favorite things on earth are indie pattern designers, downloadable patterns, giveaways, and discounts, so this is like a dream come true.  I feel like I have been pulled up from the minor leagues to shine in the majors.  Check out the awesomely official graphic Sarah (the genius behind CND) created for us:

ANYWAY, this bag is seriously amazing.  And I'm not just saying that because I was a tester and got the pattern for free.  This puppy converts into four different bags.  Maybe it's because my four-year-old son and six-year-old daughter are obsessed with all things Transformers related, but a bag that transforms is all kinds of fabulous in our opinion.  Here is my version of the bag (with Sarah's nifty descriptions overlaid on top):

With just one bag, you get:

• a shoulder bag,
• a cross-body (or cross-over) bag,
• ANOTHER cross-body/cross-over bag in a completely different set of fabrics, and
• an evening clutch.

No, I'm not joking!  Here they are in greater detail:

1.  The shoulder bag:

2.  The cross-body/cross-over bag:

3.  Another cross-body/cross-over bag in totally different fabrics:

4.  And the best part (in my opinion), an adorable evening clutch:

The pattern even includes instructions for a clear vinyl insert you can use so your purse necessities won't get the fabric all dirty.  Seriously cool.  You can also make the bag with laminated cotton, which sounds like a great idea.

Sometimes, you find patterns for purchase that really aren't worth the money, but this is most certainly not the case with the Convertible/Reversible Bag.  The pattern and instructions make what could be a really complex project and break it down in an understandable way.  There are so many pieces, in fact, that the pattern includes little labels you can stick on to keep everything straight once you have cut the fabric and interfacing.  I mean, check out this photo I shot of the whole shebang before I started the assembly:

YIKES.  It was at that point that I started to fear for Sarah's sanity, because how on earth could that all go together to become a bag?  (Yes, that is my black lab, Connie, chilling out under the dining room table in the bottom right-hand corner -- her idea of "helping" me sew.  I much prefer that to the cats' idea of helping, which consists of lying on top of the cutting mat on the table next to my sewing machine and shedding all over my fabric.  Ahem.)

Despite the intimidating number of components, the pattern instructions are extremely clear and easy to follow.  For a design this complex, that is no minor feat.  Sarah uses neat graphics to accompany the instructions that keep you on target.  I can't even imagine how she came up with this fantastic design AND figured out how to engineer it all.  I was blown away by the terrific method she uses to create the boxed bottom of the bag.  I have made a zillion bags over the past few years, and I had never before seen something like this.  I love how the side of the bag looks with her boxing technique:

So. Stinkin'. Cute.  This was also my first time making adjustable straps using tri-glides, and it was much easier than I thought it would be.  I'm definitely going to do that again with any bag I try to design myself.  Honestly, I'm really kind of bummed that I gave this bag to my daughter's kindergarten teacher (thought she completely deserved a rad bag like this).  I guess I need to get cracking on making one for me.

Discount Code and Giveaway!

For this week only (good through August 2, 2014), you can pick up your own copy of the Convertible/Reversible Bag pattern at a 25% discount by entering the code "bagtour" at checkout.

And now for the giveaway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where is the tour going next?  To a bunch of other way cool sewing blogs authored by other bag testers from all over the world, of course.  They all sewed the same bag with very different fabric choices, and it's really neat to see how they all turned out.  I'm kind of in awe of the bloggers on this tour, and hope that no one figures out that I am just pretending to be even half as talented as these folks.  The best part is each day has its own unique giveaway!  Here is the schedule for the whole tour:

Monday, July 28th

Maria of Mia's Creations 

Niki Stringer of Roonie Ranching 

Alyssa Carrion at Keep Calm & Carrion

Tuesday, July 29th 

Lynn Potts of PottsCrafty 

Marilyn Brandt at Shades of Bold

Wednesday, July 30th 

Vicky Myers of Vicky Myers Creations

Liz Schaffner at MOMENTS

Sarah at Cozy Nest Design

Thursday, July 31st

Amy Macdonald with Friends Stitched Together 

Kathy from Handmade Dress Haven

Judith Clauss of Judith Stitches and More

Friday, August 1st 

Jonie Brooks with Knot Sew Normal 

Lorena Rey of my way of... 

Bethany Rapp with Sweet Bee Buzzings

At the risk of making this post ridiculously long, I have to point out that I am a diehard Cozy Nest Design fan as evidenced by quite a number of my past projects.  I truly enjoyed sewing Sarah's patterns, including a modified version of the Petal Cosmetic Bag, the Play and Store, the Sweet Escapes Cosmetic Bag, and the Petal Pocket Purse.  I look forward to trying more in the future, for sure.

Thank you, Sarah, for letting this minor leaguer play in the big leagues for a bit!  I'm one of your biggest fans and can't wait to see what you dream up next.