Margo Handbag - Step 11

Step 11 is to attach the lining to the top of the bag - and maybe more!

Well, yeah.  This post shows the finishing steps of my Margo Handbag by Lazy Girl Designs - here.

After attaching the zipper and finishing with topstitching, I laid out the pieces for the next step. The front and back purse body pieces are near me, and the lining pieces are beyond:

I flipped the purse body pieces away from me, aligning the top edges with the lining pieces:

I stitched the top edges together with a 1/4-inch seam allowance:

I opened up the seams, and pressed the seam allowances towards the facing pieces:

Then I topstitched those seams on the lining side:

For the next steps, I had to close the zipper until the zipper pull was near the handles:

I pinned the bottom of the body together, and stitched it:

I pinned that seam open from the right side, and steam pressed it using a scrap of cotton fabric as a pressing cloth 

Where the zipper hung out one side, I pinned the side of the purse together, matching meeting seams. I pinned the zipper over onto itself, before stitching that seam. After that, I cut off most of the excess zipper:

Where the zipper did not hang out, I matched the seams, pinned, and stitched that side:

I pressed all the seams open, and left them to cool with weight on top:

Sometimes I had to fold the purse like origami to get the pressing done, especially when I had a sleeve board inside:

More origami work was required to line up the bottom corners before I stitched them down:

I stitched the ends of the lining seam, leaving an opening for turning:

I carefully pressed this seam open, first one side, then the other:

I  pressed the ends of that seam flat before I matched and stitched the corners:

I turned the purse right side out, opened the zipper, and took out all the basting stitches holding the handles straight:

I matched the edges of the bottom lining seam and stiched it closed using and edge-stitch foot:

After stuffing the lining into the purse, I stitched around the top edge of the purse from the inside to hold the lining to the inside:

Here's a close-up shot of the purse:

But wait, there's more!

There's a purse bottom insert that's designed to fit inside this purse - link here:

I cut two pieces of fabric to a certain size, and pressed one end of each into a hem. Then I pinned them right sides together and stitched the remaining edges:

I turned this right side out, inserted the plastic piece, and stitched the end shut:

I placed this inside the purse to help hold the rectangular shape of the bottom:

Here's the inside of the filled purse, including my Kindle:

There are four outside pockets, and each is a home for stuff like keys, phone, and work badge:

Ta-Dah!

I have more projects in the works, and when I'm done, I will certainly share.

I started this bag on October 29, 2014, and finished it on February 1, 2015.  It's about time!

I Digress, and I diet, too

I finished the Margo Handbag, but my parents came to visit soon after.

Most of what I have accomplished in that time frame is commonly known as cleaning.

While they were here, I lengthened a PJ top I had made for my Dad several years ago:

Here we are at beautiful Ormond by the Sea:

Here's a picture with my hubby:

You can see that hubby and I have big bellies, and that's not healthy. I have an idea that I won't be old until I'm at least 90 - but not int this shape!

My Mom lost 16 pounds or so last year, and she told me that she used "the Fast Metabolism Diet" by Haylie Pomroy.

The book explains how your metabolism works and what you can do to reset it.  The explanations made sense to us so my husband and I decided to try it.

The diet helps heal your metabolism by being nutritious, yet planned in such a way to shock your system, but not you.  OK, maybe your wallet.  Eating well costs real money.

We started this diet one week after my parents left. Feeding them helped us get ready because we had not previously been eating enough vegetables.

It's working so well that we are continuing on with it.  Here's what happened in four weeks:

I lost 12 pounds.

My husband lost 25 pounds, his blood sugar went from 260 to 110, and his blood pressure went down drastically.

I also found a good book called "Fast Metabolism Diet Recipes" by Helen Harriss.  There's a really good chart in this book which I pinned and taped to the fridge as a meal plan reference.

The main thing I like about this diet is that it does not include calorie counting and portion control.

The closest to a contrary argument about this diet might sound like a complaint to some of you: I have never eaten so much food in my life!

Yes, we have to exercise, but not overly so.  We also have to do relaxing activities on the weekends, which  is usually going to the beach and walking in the surf.  Yeah, throw me in that briar patch!  It's a tough, life, but somebody's gotta do it.

I will post pictures of some of the meals we've been making for this diet. Some are found, and some are adapted.

I promise myself that I will get back into sewing.

I promise my readers that I will post the final step of my Margo Handbag.

Yes.

I will.