The final completed project has taken me almost the entire month to complete. Two years ago I purchased this prequilted green Easter egg fabric so I could make a special purse for Easter. From the moment I saw this fabric I fell in love with it because instead of the typical diagonal lines quilting there were little bunnies quilted into the fabric. Last year I dug out the pattern and cut out all the required pieces, where it proceeded to sit until this month.
Unlike my other projects, I'm not sure if I'm happy with the results. Nearly every section of the purse had some sort of mistake that had to be ripped out or stitched over at least twice. In fact, I'm fairly certain I won't make this particular purse again, and I can honestly say I won't be making a prequilted purse anytime soon...although I do have some really cute fabric and some smaller patterns...
There's so much I learned on this project I'm not really sure where to begin.
- When working with prequilted fabric that has an obvious top and bottom, make sure you cut the pattern pieces so the quilting is right side up. Unfortunately, my bunnies are upside down on most of the purse.
- Always read through all the instructions before beginning. This one is so obvious it's almost a cliche, but historically not one I follow. I like to read a step, complete a step, read the next. It didn't serve me well for this project. I had to make several trips to the craft store to find materials I didn't know I needed. Plus, I didn't realize until the purse was partially put together that it called for a zipper that went from the bottom corner of the purse up the sides and around the top to the other bottom corner of the purse. It took me a couple days to get up the nerve to stitch the purse with a 22" zipper across the top and the sides sewn together.
- Don't add binding to the inside until you have stitched the pieces together. I had to sew the sides about five times before I could keep the binding from showing on the outside.
Come Easter Sunday you may see me with my newly crafted purse, or you might not. The massive accessory with many mistakes may be shoved into my closet never to be heard from again. On the other hand, anything handmade is bound to have a flaw or two, and it's true that we often learn from our mistakes better than we do with our successes. Only time will tell what my final decision will be.
Until then, happy crafting!