Unfortunately, I found that the pattern lacked clarity in areas. First, it is worth noting that she does not state anywhere what the seam allowance is. Perhaps you are meant to add your own, or you are to assume that it is 1/4 inch like most quilting-based projects. As I don’t follow many patchwork or quilt based patterns, I am not used to assuming the seam allowance and presumed there would be an indication somewhere. If I have missed this in the book, please can someone advise which page it is on!
As a result, I used 1/2 inch seam allowances throughout, and I think this caused my straps to be way narrower than they should have been. I ended up finding other D-rings and swivel clasps to use, which was frustrating as I bought some especially for the project, but didn’t have enough fabric to correct the error.
Another error is in the lining measurements for cutting out the base pieces and side pieces. These measurements are mixed up, and I only realised at the point when I was about to stitch them. Fortunately, to correct it, I only had to shorten two of the pieces rather than re-cut as I was using a plain fabric, but if you were using a patterned fabric and the direction of the print mattered more, you would need to cut this correctly!
I didn’t understand the instructions that well for stitching the flap onto the outer bag either, and next time I would just do my own thing rather than try to make myself understand as I wasn’t too happy with the end result in this aspect.
There are some good pictures in the book, but in a way, I felt like there could have been more. However, if you are used to making bags, this may not be an issue.