DIY: Make Faux Fur Bag With a Vest

Its refashion time again!! Ever since my sewing machine broke last year, it felt like my blog have been in a stand still. But now that it's running again, expect more refashion and DIY's to come. And the first one on the list is this faux fur vest I bought on ukay ukay for 80 pesos (approximately 1.55 USD).

So first, I separate and take out all the parts. For this refashion, I will only be using the front half of the vest. I wanna keep the back half for decoration and the other front half for the bag that I have in mind.

Next, I made my bag pattern. I planning on making a circle bag, so I trace out a circle on a piece of paper. I also made a rectangular pattern from the collar of the vest.

Once the pattern is done, I trace and cut them on the fabric (allowances included). Giving me 4 circles (2 for the lining and 2 for the faux fur) and 2 rectangles (1 lining and 1 faux fur).

Now its time to sew! Sewing a bag made with this kind of fabric is a first for me. I honestly don't wanna screw it up so I opted to handsew the bag first before running it on the machine. That way I can have a little guideline where to sew and avoid making unnecessary mistakes.

Next, I trace another pattern (a half circle and another rectangle) on a completely different fabric. This will be the pocket and the bag's zipper. I specifically chose a thicker fabric for this so I wouldn't need to make a lining. I sew the half circle along with the lining turning it into an inside pocket.

I took the rectangle fabric and zipper and started making the opening. Sewing a zipper can be overwhelming at first, but once you figure out the trick, its relatively easy. You can find many ways online how to sew zippers. 

After that, I connected everything (the front, lining and the zipper) like a jigsaw puzzle. Though I left the 2 corners at the sides open for where the straps will go. I must say it starting to look like a bag.

Side note: I didn't realize the fabric I was using for the zipper actually runs until it was to late to fixed it. Good thing this little hack I did with my previous DIY came in handy and save the threads from running.

Lastly, I hand sew the old bag straps I own on the 2 corners of the circle bag and violà! You now have faux fur bag that looks very eyecatching and soft to touch. The only thing I didn't like is that it gets droopy, so the bag's shape gets distorted. Maybe I should've use a thicker lining but overall, I like it. I've used it often when I go grocery shopping.

And that's the end of it, this refashion is the hardest and the most challenging for me. I gave my 100% in sewing that bag. And looking at it now, its worth all the effort. What do you guys think?