When I asked my friend Cheryl of Paradiso Designs if she wanted to share one of her patterns with our Maker Retreat folks, she was as generous as always. Not only did she share one of her fab patterns, but she’ll join us via Zoom during the retreat.
I made the Daisy Hobo Bag once before, using some silk fabric for the outer and black pleather for the handles. What I learned was that silk isn’t a very durable fabric and I often leave my pens clicked open and they leak. So I did things differently this time.
I used this fun map print designed by Timna Tarr for the outer bag, fabric I fell in love with it when I saw it back in 2022. I picked a yard up from Quilts & More, where I was teaching in Montana. Then I held onto it for a few years, waiting patiently for the right project to come along. This was it!
I had some scraps of black and white Heath from Alexander Henry Fabrics (RIP) that I used for the tabs and a similar cross-hatch fabric from Splash Fabrics for the lining.
If you haven’t worked with Splash Fabrics material before, it is a laminated cotton, making it water-resistant and easy to clean. Perfect for me and my leaky pens! It sews really well, but I do recommend using a non-stick foot (I have these and love them!). Your metal or plastic foot will definitely want to stick the fabric and while there are some work arounds (crepe paper, tape on the foot, etc.), I find it much easier to just put the non-stick foot on and not have to think about it. I left it on for the entire bag construction and had no issues with any of it.
I used the pleather from Paradiso Designs, which sews perfectly. It folds nicely and stitches easily, plus it wears really well! I love the stability of pleather straps versus fabric straps or even fabric-covered webbing straps. There’s just something extra nice about it.
I’ve been using the bag now for a couple of weeks, trying to put it through its paces and I’m super satisfied with the results. The pleather base doesn’t show any wear and the knot in my handle hasn’t budged–two things I worried about when I finished it.
Plus it gets all the compliments when I’m out and about! The fun colors make everyone happy, so it’s a real win-win.
Daisy Hobo Bag
Paradiso Designs
Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Time Required: 3 hours
Happy sewing!
