While I’m on vacation, I’m posting about some of the projects I finished a long time ago. This one is from 201o.

The East Meets West bag sat around in pieces for nearly a year after I got it blocked. It took me a while to get organized enough to trace the pieces for the lining and construct the bag.

(The alert reader will notice the difference between the flap now that the duplicate stitch work is done and the flap when I last posted about this project.)

I suppose it isn’t surprising that I waited. I had to fuss with the lining, adjusting until it fit, and it took a while to get it all worked out. I did manage to add in some pockets for small tools, including my beloved stitch and needle gauge. I used a heavy interfacing to give the bag some body, which worked, although I would have been happier if I’d used fusible interfacing. Then I could have stuck the lining to the interfacing and gotten a cleaner finish.

The only thing it still needs is clasp to hold it together. My fiber-expert friend Deb has suggested Norwegian pewter clasps. While they are beautiful, I think I’d rather just use some hook and eye closures so that the claps are invisible. The front of the bag seems complicated enough without adding more stuff to it.

It only took me 9 months to get from knitted to constructed. Any bets on how long it takes me to get the closure put on the flap? If I could, I’d go without one, but when you pick the bag up by the strap, the whole things sags and the flap pops up, making it easy for the yarn to jump out and escape.

Note: Four years later and this bag STILL needs a clasp. Maybe I should do something about that…