Sydney Crossbody

Europe here I come!

I’m so excited to share the news that I’ve finally finished Swoon’s Sydney Crossbody bag! I’ve been working hard to get this project finished in time for my trip to Europe and I’m so glad its ready. It’s definitely the perfect bag for travelling as it has a great front zipper pocket for our important travel documents. The main compartment is also very roomy and will fit my iPad and other travel necessities. I’m also the kind of person who likes a crossbody bag when travelling around. The Sydney Crossbody ticks all the boxes – what more could I ask for! 

This pattern utilises a lot of different sewing skills – particularly with the two front expandable pockets. I would recommend taking your time when sewing together the front main panel. It’s got a lot of different pieces to it. Another big challenge is the construction of the gusset. Particularly the lining gusset where you also have to increase the seam allowance whilst sewing. I don’t think I quite have this skill mastered yet –  my seam increase and decrease aren’t very tidy or uniform. Luckily it’s on the inside so you can get away with things not being a 100% neat and tidy. 

In my ‘Project in Progress’ post for this pattern I mentioned it is for Advanced sewers. I can definitely confirm that it is! I wouldn’t attempt the Sydney Crossbody if you are new to sewing bags. There were quite a few times that I had to re-read the instructions and I did have to take some of the steps quite slowly.

I think I also made a very good choice in fabrics. I just love Cloud 9’s ‘Organic Whitehaven Confetti’ and I think it works so well with the plain fabric in iron. It’s just gorgeous! I’m a little bit concerned that the colours might be a bit light for travel but hopefully it will stay fairly clean.

The big test will be how this bag holds up throughout my travels in Europe. I think the size is perfect but you truely only know if a bag is good for the purpose when you use it. I’m a couple of weeks into my trip and so far the Sydney Crossbody has been a brilliant bag. Large enough for daily essentials and secure with the several zipper pockets. I definitely recommend this bag for everyday use or maybe for that next big holiday!