Sewing Class: Messenger Bag - Simplicity 8028, View D

I took my first sewing class of 2016!  Through this project, I accomplished one of my 2016 sewing goals - inserting a zipper.  We were working on a Simplicity 8028, View D, Messenger Bag.  It was a 3.5 hour class.  This was a neat little project.  It was a very good thing that I took an in-person class at JoAnn's. I don't think I would have gotten the instructions that were included with the pattern.  I really liked the instructor, Terri Tipps.  I have taken 2 classes with her in the past, and she is a true gem. However, it was the first time that I have sewn all year, so I was a little rusty.  First of all, I had a hard time finding the pattern. I checked earlier in the week, but they were all out at Hancock's.  Due to time constraints, I only about 2 hours before class to buy my supplies.  As luck would have it, my local JoAnn's where the class was being held was also out of the pattern.  So, I had to go to Hobby Lobby.  Luckily, they had the pattern, and I bought some fashion (duck) fabric for the outside of the bag.  I had to purchase the interfacing, strap, and hardware for the bag.  I chose not to get interlining because the outer material was very heavy.  I went into class flustered, stressed, and unprepared.  At JoAnn's, the cutting table and checkout lines were horrible, so I spent 20 minutes of class time making purchases.  However, Terri got of all us started. I didn't have time to read the instructions, so I was really relying on Terri (who was, of course, fantastic).  The supply sheet that JoAnn's gave us was inaccurate. So, when I was about to cut my interfacing, I didn't have enough.  So I spent another 15-20 minutes at the cutting table line and checkout line during class time. Suffice it to say, I didn't completely finish my project during class time.  However, but I was about 85% done when the class time ended.  I was able to make my pockets, make my tabs, insert the D-rings into the tabs, insert my zipper, and attach the lining to the bag. One more mishap happened during class: my needle broke as I was attaching my lining to the bag as I was going over the D-ring.  The needle caught me in the thumb.  I didn't want to bleed on my new bag, so I was essentially finished by that point.  Terri pinned my material and strap for me to finish up at home.

Here are some images of my finished project. I made my strap a little bit longer than recommended.

Here is Terri's sample of the messenger bag. It looks very professional!

This was sort of an expensive project, but I bought some extra interfacing for my home studio.  Here is the price breakdown: