Did you see the world's ugliest bag I made? Yep, that's what still happens around here from time to time. Most of my sewing disasters are hidden carefully away and never see the light of day, the outside world or the pages of the site. I still blame it on my husband for what he did with the lime green paint! (You'll have to read the earlier post to find out.)
It was the terrible waste of time and fabric on this bag that prompted me to sign up for the Craftsy Design your own Handbag class and I thought some of you may be interested to learn more about what the class covers and what I am learning.
You can also get this class at a huge discount- see below.
Class review – part 1
Let's start off right away with what this class is NOT. It does not give you a pattern and a step by step set of instructions for how to sew the featured bags, or any finished bag. That is the whole point of the class.
What it IS. A set of tutorials on how to take a starting basic pattern (supplied) and adapt or customise it to get the bag you are looking for. There are full tutorials on how to design and sew various elements of bags and LOTS of information on materials and construction techniques.
Using the tutorials you could entirely recreate the wonderful example bags that are featured, but the emphasis is very much on using the techniques learned to make your own designs and creations. Then, it's up to you to take all those new skills and the extensive knowledge in the class to design and sew your own bag. Hopefully the bag of your dreams and not the bag of nightmares like I made before enrolling!
The lessons
Lesson 1 – welcome, about Craftsy and an introduction on the instructor Brett Bara.
Lesson 2 – Planning your design. There is SO much information in this lesson that you'll be bursting with ideas come the end. Discussed are:
- typical bag shapes
- fabrics and color
- scale and dimension
- zippers for function and features
- introduction to interfacing, lining, stabilisers, underlining and adding shape to your bags
- other details such as pockets, straps, closures and hardware
- where to find your inspiration
- typical order of construction
That's all I've covered in the class so far and I'm already bursting with so many ideas. I've started a design note book full of pictures, sketches and construction notes which I know I'll love to refer back to in the future. I'm really looking forward to learning more and being truly inspired to take my own bag designs from blah to blam!
While handmade and homemade is wonderful and I truly appreciate my handmade creations, I really want to be able to make bags that look like I bought them.
What is Craftsy?
Never taken an online course before? You'll love the Craftsy system.
- Online class in sewing, quilting, knitting, art, cooking, baking, cake decorating, photography and more
- Very high quality production – try some of the free classes to see an example
- Money back guarantee if the class isn't right for you
- Immediate access, and its yours to watch and re-watch 24hrs a day forever
- Class materials, supplier list, patterns etc all included
- Ask questions of the instructor and chat with the other students
- Take your own notes on the video and bookmark places for future easy reference
- Share your WIP and completed projects
- Excellent value for money when compared to offline classes
Get the class
If you are interested in learning more about how to design and sew your own bags, you can sign up for this course with the current sale that is running and save a huge 40%. Just use the code YOURCRAFT40 at checkout. We never know how long these sales will last anymore so you should probably hurry if you're interested.
There's currently a sale going on over on Payhip but you never know how long it will last.
Disclosure – I bought the course myself and am not being compensated in any way from Craftsy for this course review. I really love the Craftsy classes and negotiated this special rate for your benefit. I am an affiliate so will receive a commission if you buy this course using my special discount link.
Thank you, I just bought the Design Your Own HandBag class through your link 🙂
Great! I think you’ll enjoy the class. There is a lot of useful info which you can use when sewing other people’s patterns such as all about hardware and interfacing, and of course all of the techniques for constructing your own bag. Do hop on over to the forum and give us a class review later on, and share some of the projects you completed please.
Thank you Deby for sharing and I’m signed up! I love Craftsy! A hug!
I’ve made many bags before, always following a talented designers pattern. But… I’ve never found the “perfect” pattern, the one that has all the features that I want in a bag. This class looks like it will be perfect for me. Thanks, Deby, for making me aware that Craftsy had a class like this! I’m signed up!
was on the fence about this class but because of your review decided to take the leap. I love making bags, so look forward to learning new ideas.
I really hope you enjoy it and are inspired to make bags to your own design and specs. Should be fun I think.
Thank you SO much for this information regarding bag classes. I have been remiss in not sitting down and going through all the offered classes from Craftsy. I don’t always think ahead about “I might use that in the future” and all of a sudden, an opportunity comes along that I need something for a gift or occasion – and BAM, I really cute idea comes along at just the right time. This is that time! Graduations abound! lol
I enjoy your blog tremendously and have saved so many for a ‘later time’. Great ideas!
Thanks for letting me know it is useful Camille. A handmade bag would be a lovely way to remember and celebrate graduation.