Thinking Outside of the Box

I am 4'7" and I sew a lot of bags and accessories. Because I am small, I have a hard time with making larger items, I can't envision large sizes and proportions (I use my husband often for sizing and he hates it when I put a bag around his body). I have sewn many, many bags and to date, I have sewn only 5 that were really large, the largest being 17" x 14".

Recently, I have been thinking that I need to expand my sewing and make bags that would be more suitable for the average woman. I've also been thinking that maybe my sewing on a smaller scale has been hindering my Etsy sales.

So, along those thoughts, I designed 2 large bags - the first is 15" x 12-1/2":

After making this one, I kept thinking that it needed something else, like some trim or beading, but couldn't figure what to do, so I left it alone. The lining is a bright cerulean blue and I made a really big, deep pocket - 8" x 10", that can hold lots of goodies. The bottom is squared at 3-1/2" which makes it very roomy.

This one I just finished this afternoon. I saw a picture in this catalog that had pockets on the outside and was made in way that the pockets were part of the design of the bag. I've seen this style before and I've always wanted to make my own version. This one measures 17" x 14":

I kind of mixed and matched the lining fabric and the outside pocket fabric for added interest. As you can see, I used 3 different color threads for topstitching on this bag. The divider topstitching in the center of the pocket is a peachy color to match the background of the umbrella fabric and the edges were topstitched in black, the straps were also topstitched in black. The top of the bag was topstitched in a green that matches the green lining inside. Can you tell I like color?

The inside pocket for this is also big and deep - 9-3/8" x 12-1/2". The bottom is squared at 4" wide which creates lots of room to carry all your stuff.

I really like how these patterns came out. I'm planning to make more of these styles with different kinds of pockets on the inside. Maybe thinking outside of the box will help me to see that bigger can be ok and I won't be so limited in my designs.

Thanks for reading!!