If you don’t know already, I am a big Harry Potter fan! I mean… I was trying to convince my husband to consider the name Sirius for our son! No joke. He became Levi, obviously, but I have already stated if the next child is a boy, Sirius just might be his middle name 😉
So, when I caught wind of a Hogwarts handmade swap on Instagram I had to join!
The partner I got answered her questionnaire pretty thoroughly. From it, I could tell she liked the creatures of the wizzarding world and identified mostly with Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. She requested either a mini quilt or something she could wear like a bag or a scarf. I always love fan gear that is subtle and clever, as opposed to overly marketed looking. The clever things you can sport and enjoy on a regular day, not just at a theme park.
I had seen this amazing bag pattern from Elizabeth Hartman called the Perfect Quilted Tote. The scrappy nature of it really caught my creative eye.
I went to my stash first, looking for whimsy, which I have a lot of thanks to the gorgeous prints of Heather Ross.
I decided to add some Lizzy House and Cotton and Steel to the pulls. Lizzy House is whimsical too and Cotton & Steel has a great line out right now with perfect colors and an even more perfect mix of whimsical lions and more graphic/clean prints to balance the bag and make it more modern with a hint of hipster.
I really loved where this was going, but I knew I needed a little bit of Harry Potter to ground it to that world. Official licensed fabric is often less-than-amazing, so I went to the best place for unique designs: Spoonflower!
How great are those glasses/scars!? And that repeating print of Harry Potter book covers are just amazing! I was also excited to find great prints of owls, phoenix feathers, and centaurs! You can’t buy those in a store!
And, it started coming together just divinely! I used Photoshop to get a rough idea of how these fabrics felt together.
I declare right here and now… I LOVE the quilt-as-you-go technique!
One side finished!
Next side!
And here is the outside of the bag, assembled.
Next up, the bag lining.
I lined the pocket with skulls because, as Sirius says “we all have both light and dark inside of us”. I know, nerdy. But cool, right!?
And the finished bag!
I ordered this little leather tag from a shop on Etsy. I wanted the bag to feel like it was purchased in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade.
I loved this bag so much that I cut the main bag pieces again to make one for myself!
Want to see what I got?? I was given an awesome Sew Together bag in various Hogwarts colors, an awesome needlepoint, and many goodies including a pink wand! Ahhhh!
That night, I tried to turn my son into a tea cozy 😛
Leasa