Buttercup Bag

I've had the Buttercup Bag pattern from Made By Rae in my "want to make" folder for quite some time. And finally, now that my old purse has officially become hazardous (i.e. unraveling to the point that wallet and keys are in danger of falling out), I was able to justify spending the time to make it.

I've never made a purse before, and this was a great one to start with. The pattern is free, which suits my budget nicely. And it's so cute and simple. The fabric is an old Amy Butler scrap I found at a garage sale and have been saving for something special. I think next time I might use a heavier fabric with a more abstract design, but it will certainly work for now. The pattern calls for a magnetic snap, which I didn't have. So I decided to take the opportunity to try out the button hole attachment for my sewing machine (a beautiful old singer featherweight inherited from my mother-in-law, who inherited it from her aunt...but more about that story in another post). I have been scared of this device, and after my first experience with it, I believe I have good cause to feel this way. In my attempt to create one simple button hole, I broke two needles and gave myself a nasty second-degree burn from the sewing machine light (on a positive note, that herbal salve I made works wonders on burns--it's healing up beautifully). I'm not sure if this was caused by user error or machine malfunction...but I think I might take a break from buttons for a while! And those fancy machines with one step button holes are looking awfully tempting at the moment.  Thanks to Rae for sharing this great pattern!