• SHOP
  • About
    • About Sara
    • Contact me!
    • Design Collaborations
    • Sewing Collaborations
  • Sewing
    • Sewing Tutorials
    • Things I Made
  • Design Portfolio
  • Blog
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
Radiant Home Studio

Radiant Home Studio

February 9, 2016 ·

Sewing the Seneca Creek Bag Pattern & Review

Pattern Review· Sewing

A few months ago, I sewed up this Seneca Creek Bag pattern by Betz White. It’s a small purse with an envelope pocket detail, perfect for carrying your essentials. Betz is hosting a Seneca Creek Bag sew-along this month, so I thought it would be a good time to share my bag here with a more detailed review.

Sewing the Seneca Creek Bag by Betz White | Radiant Home Studio

I mentioned in my first post that I usually carry around a big tote bag filled with all of my “mom gear”. Now that my kids are getting older and my husband is working regular hours again, I’ve had more opportunities to go out by myself. The big tote bags are excessive when I just need my wallet and a couple of other essentials. The Seneca Creek Bag is just the right size for those kid-free outings.

I have been able to use this bag several times and just as I suspected, it’s exactly the right bag for going out by myself or on a date. I love the fabric I chose. Blue is neutral in my wardrobe, so it works well with most of my clothes and looks great with jeans. (Fabric is from the Indigo Collection by Michael Miller.)

The strap is adjustable so that the bag can be worn as a cross-body purse, carried as a shoulder bag, and even threaded through your belt loops and carried as a waist pouch. I can’t see myself using the waist pouch option, but it might be a nice feature if you travel.

The pattern was pretty simple. If you have successfully made some zipper pouches, then this is a good next step. The pocket looks intimidating, but it’s constructed by making a simple pleat. If you can fold and draw a straight line, then the pocket is no problem. To make the leather buckle, I eliminated the seam allowances from the pattern pieces and left the edges raw. I layered two pieces of leather and stitched the edges together. Depending on the weight of your leather, one layer may be enough. The snap is attached at the underside of the flap and not on the buckle strap, so you don’t need to worry about attaching the snap to the leather.

Sewing the Seneca Creek Bag by Betz White | Radiant Home Studio

Here’s a closer look at the envelope pocket pleat on the Senaca Creek Bag pattern.

Sewing the Seneca Creek Bag by Betz White | Radiant Home Studio

I love the way metal zippers make a handmade bag look more expensive. Even more so if you add a leather zipper pull. I substituted small gate-rings for the ½” d-rings. My local store didn’t carry the brass colored d-rings I needed. I actually found these small gate-rings in the jewelry section of the craft store. You may be surprised at what you can find in the jewelry section to dress up your bags. Besides using small hardware items like the gate-rings, you can also use beads or feathers on your zipper pull to add a unique touch to your bags.

One thing I would change next time…the 1/2″ tab that holds the rings are not very strong. I think Betz intended the purse to be carried as a clutch as well. The small tabs are subtle and make it possible to convert the bag to a clutch without looking like the strap is obviously missing. Unfortunately, one of mine is pulling out and I will have to take apart the bag to sew it back in. I think that I would make the tabs about an inch wide, especially if you intend to carry the bag by the strap. It’s a simple modification that will allow the strap to bear more weight.

Sewing the Seneca Creek Bag by Betz White | Radiant Home Studio

Here’s the inside of the bag. It’s roomy enough for a medium-sized wallet, a phone, and some make-up items. There’s also a small inset zipper pocket. I did construct the pocket differently than the pattern recommends. Betz has a simple method that is great for beginners. I wanted a little bit more stability, so I used my professional zipper pocket method.

Sewing the Seneca Creek Bag by Betz White | Radiant Home Studio

I followed the rest of the pattern instructions with no changes. One of my favorite features of the purse is the contrast fabric at the bottom of the bag and on the pocket flap. If you like to mix and match fabric designs from collections, I think it would be fun to experiment with Seneca Creek Bag pattern. Or you could use leather or faux leather on the bottom and flap. Overall, it’s a versatile bag pattern that goes together quickly and easily. Sometimes I make bags and never use them, but that is not the case with this purse. (One of the perks of writing a review a few months later is that you can honestly say if something was worth making!) I’ve used it and will continue to use it.

If you’ve been looking for something like this, I hope you’ll join the sew-along. I’ve enjoyed working with Betz this year, making several items from her patterns, but this is my favorite!

Previous Post: « Birkin Flares Review
Next Post: Floral Gallery Tunic With Hand Stitched Details »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Betz says

    February 9, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Thanks Sara! I love your version of the Seneca Creek and I’m glad you find yourself using it a lot.

    • Sara Curtis says

      February 9, 2016 at 11:59 am

      That was quick 🙂 Thanks! I can’t wait to see what people make during the sew-along!

  2. Denita Walker says

    February 12, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    Beautiful bag!

    • Sara Curtis says

      February 17, 2016 at 7:53 am

      Thank you!

Primary Sidebar

Hello

Welcome! I’m Sara. I share modern home & accessory sewing patterns, and I create surface designs for licensing. I hope you are encouraged to see beauty in small things and are inspired to try new creative projects!

Shop Sewing Patterns


icon icon

icon icon

Newsletter

Sign up to get access to free sewing patterns & resource library!

Find My Work at:






© Copyright Notice

All images and text copyright ©2013-2020 Radiant Home Studio, unless otherwise noted. Please be kind enough to link back to my site and contact me if you would like to use my images.

Disclosure

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Footer

Sign up to get access to free sewing patterns & resource library!

Favorite Adobe Illustrator tool? I love recoloring Favorite Adobe Illustrator tool? I love recoloring patterns. I probably spend way too much time with the recolor tool and not enough time making new patterns. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Last day to join the Immersion Course! If you have ever dreamed of making beautiful designs, Bonnie can teach you how to get what’s in your head into the computer and then how to make money from licensing your designs to companies for use on products. 

As a member of Bonnie’s support team, I’ll be there to make sure you don’t feel lost. There’s room for you...as Bonnie often reminds us!

#surfacepatterndesign #surfacepatterndesigner #surfacepatterncommunity #printandpattern #radianthomestudiopatterns #floralpattern #alltheflowers #artlicensing #flowersfordays #mutedflorals
Look what just came in the mail! Notebooks! This w Look what just came in the mail! Notebooks! This was a test batch to check quality and I’m thoroughly impressed.

I’ll be listing extra in the shop soon, but first dibs go to anyone that signs up for the Immersion Course using my link. I’ll be sending a small gift package and scheduling a course success/ coaching call with you!

Just a reminder that the last day to enroll in Immersion is tomorrow! If you are like me and overthink things until the last day, you are not alone. 

I know it’s a huge decision. I have an Immersion stories highlight if you want to know more or go to my profile to find a link to the info page. Message me all your questions! 

#immersioncourse #immersioncourse2021 #designernotebooks #learntodesign #learnillustrator #surfacepatterndesigner
Just got an order of stickers in! I’m debating a Just got an order of stickers in! I’m debating about putting them in the shop as a separate product or adding them to orders. I think I need a few more to make a pretty coordinating set! 🌹

Reminder: there’s still a couple more days to enroll in the Surface Pattern Design Immersion Course or the free mini-course from Bonnie! Links in my profile...as always. Keep messaging with questions! ☺️
It’s been a minute since I showed my face here! It’s been a minute since I showed my face here! ☺️

I wanted to get a little personal today. If you’re here for sewing & crafty stuff...stay tuned. I’m not abandoning you. 🙂 If you saw my stories last week, you may have learned that I’m deep in design mode for a few weeks, working with @bonniechristine on the Surface Pattern Design Immersion Course.

When I discovered Spoonflower (about 8 years ago!) and realized I could create my own fabric, I had this far off “maybe someday” dream to create a collection of designs for a fabric company.

I spent many years learning bits and pieces of design and business skills. But a couple of years ago I got more serious about making my dream a reality. 

Last year, I made an investment in myself and I joined the Immersion Course with Bonnie Christine. It was truly the community support and confidence that I gained that propelled me forward this year. Just a few weeks after Immersion ended I signed a licensing deal for children’s wall art with Oopsy Daisy and a few months after that...I signed a contract with a fabric company!

You guys...Bonnie is SO genuine and generous in everything she does. ❤️ It spills over into this beautiful and inspiring community that cheers each other on every step of the way. 

This year, Bonnie invited me to join her support team to help encourage new students through the course and provide technical support for all those tricky Illustrator issues. 🙌🏻

This course is for anyone that wants to invest in their creative career. My “wildest dream” came true this year. I’m actually feeling a bit lost right now because I need a bigger dream!

Whether you have a few years of experience like I did when I joined or you have never used design software...Bonnie will walk you through the ENTIRE process. This is like a college-level course on design and creative business. We have many older students starting a second career, people that just graduated design school but don’t know how to practically start an art-based business, and people from dozens of countries around the world. It’s a beautiful, diverse community filled with people taking steps toward their creative business goals.

More below...
We had our first day of fake spring yesterday. It We had our first day of fake spring yesterday. It was warm for one day and it’s back to being cold. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I always draw flowers anyway. I’m hoping some of the local botanical gardens open back up this year. We have some really great inspiration nearby and flowers will start blooming soon!

It’s the little bits of beauty that inspire me the most. What are you looking forward to this Spring?
Just a reminder that I have this heart garland tut Just a reminder that I have this heart garland tutorial linked in my profile if you want to make some happy Valentine’s decor this week.

My girls are origami experts, so we worked together on these video tutorials last year. It’s a good family project for older kids! 💕

#heartcrafts #valentinesdecor #valentinecrafts #mycolorfulhome #cozymodernvibe #diyvalentinesdecor
This another favorite pattern of mine. As my style This another favorite pattern of mine. As my style has developed, I’ve embraced the imperfect lines and tend to work with graphic, but organic shapes. I like unexpected little pops of color or shapes that emerge from layering.

My iPad is at the fix-it shop, so of course, I’m feeling inspired today. ☺️ Maybe I should try some actual sketching and planning on paper with a pencil...😜

#radianthomestudiodesign #fabricdesign #surfacepatterndesign #surfacepatterncommunity #surfacepatternlife #licensingartist #artlicensing
Remember last year, the girls and I made this cute Remember last year, the girls and I made this cute origami heart garland tutorial? ❤️💙💛🧡

I don’t usually decorate with themed stuff, but these are fun to make and add some joyful, non-tacky hearts around the house for Valentine’s Day. 💕 I popped the link in my profile buttons. There are videos in the blog posts too. 

Also, I shared some personal stuff in my stories today!

#origamigarland #origamiproject #valentinesdecor #valentinesgarland #valentinescrafts #origamiheart #origamihearts #papercrafts #heartcraft #happyhearts #joyfulhome #mycolorfulhome
Follow on Instagram
  • Disclosures & Copyright
  • About
  • Contact me!
  • Digital Pattern FAQ’s

Copyright © 2021 · Sara Curtis // beloved theme