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No Pattern Used Shoe bags pattern review by Litapita

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Litapita starstarstarstar
Norway
Member since 5/18/15
211 Reviews (patterns: 201)
Skill: Intermediate
Favored by 48 people
Type: Crafts

As part of the January 2025 pop-up ""Nothing but stash" I wanted to try my hand at this nice patchwork technique, which I have learned is called bargello. I originally noticed this technique in a few garments made by MVi14 and she also kindly explained the technique in a bit of detail here. I always wanted to try it, and decided that a shoe bag would be a low stakes project to get me started.

I brought out some relatively small left-overs from semi-coordinating fabrics, sewed them together in horisontal panels and then cut them up vertically in varying widths (between 1 1/4" to 1 3/4" I think). I overlocked all edges to avoid fraying. Then I started playing with the strips. I found that I liked a staggered pattern that preserved some continuity over more wildly varying designs. I had to make do with the available scraps, which meant a rather non-coherent combination. Fewer colour and quite some discipline when pieceing is probably the way to go if I decide to make garments from this technique in the future.

This new bag is for my training shoes. Usually I have separate compartments for each shoe, but because I am using these shoes several times a week I wanted quick access. They are indoor shoes, so there isn't that much point in keeping them separate. I lined the bag, with some synthetic fabric also from stash. I used this brilliant tutorial from Very Shannon for the lining (but only as a guide - I didn't follow it in detail). As string/tie I used a narrow ribbon that I must have saved from some sport garment or packaging - it's quite sturdy and has the text "CRAFT". I also made a little pocket for my entrance card by piecing together some scraps, and placed the pocket on the most hideous side, to hide said hideousness as much as possible.

I am surprised by how much I like this bag. The fact that it only has one room and is lined with a slippery fabric makes it very practical. The small pocket is self-lined, which is not slippery. This is also practical, because I don't want the card to fall out. All in all a product that makes me happy every time I use it.

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8 Comments
silverdell said...(1/23/25 4:25 PM ET)   
A lot of work for a humble shoe bag, but the result is pretty amazing! Lovely staggered design. This is very inspiring, I want to learn more about this technique.
  
Raffey1 said...(1/23/25 12:41 PM ET)   
I just love the pattern layout you created there. Those must be some special shoes indeed to rate this gorgeous bag!
  
dolorousrattus said...(1/23/25 12:34 PM ET)   
Fantastic patchwork for this functional bag! Love it!
  
MVi14 said...(1/23/25 12:33 PM ET)   
Great job! This is the nicest looking shoe bag I've seen:)
  
Cupid Dog said...(1/23/25 11:17 AM ET)   
Nice shoe bag. Very special.
  
DTsewingstories said...(1/22/25 8:11 PM ET)   
VEry pretty - glad it makes you smile when you use it!
  
Seamingly Simple said...(1/22/25 6:11 PM ET)   
What an attractive and functional bag! I love it.
  
wingamajig said...(1/22/25 5:10 PM ET)   
Beautiful bag!
  
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