Pattern Review: Amy Butler’s Origami Bags

I’ve decided that zippers are the bane of my existence and I’m determined to overcome them. While I have made many things that include zippers, I do tend to avoid them, but not anymore. These Origami Bags from Amy Butler’s Style Stitches are too cute to ignore, so I’m making a set.

So far, I’ve made three other bags from her book (the Cosmo Bag, the Reversible Everyday Shopper, and the Blossom Handbag) and the patterns are pretty easy to follow until it comes down to the zipper. I can’t seem to get the ends of the zipper sewn in properly and, when I turn them right-side out, the corners are messy.

The problem is, some of the written instructions aren’t as clear as I need them to be and one of the illustrations seems to contradict a step that comes later. I basically made all three in a slightly different manner to find the best outcome. I have two more to go so I’ll keep reinterpreting the instructions until I find a process that works.

I feel that great patterns, like Amy Butler’s, will teach me the skills necessary to create my own designs. At this point, though, I feel that I don’t have the wherewithal to employ zippers in my creations. I just need more practice. Practice makes perfect.