London, Baby!
[Please note, this blog post includes my affiliate link for Sincerely Jen Patterns, indicated by an asterisk * after the link. I receive a small percentage from the seller if you purchase this sewing pattern using my affiliate link.]
Breaking the monotony that was the endless month of January spent in complete lockdown, I welcomed the chance to test out Jenny Greene's first bag pattern of the year, the Rossatron* - the 'cool' nickname that Ross creates for himself and tries to get his friends to adopt, but of course they don't!
So this is my tester of the smaller version and I love this size, it's perfect for holding in the crook of your arm like a lady ha ha! I positioned the handles slightly wider apart to not hide the word 'London' and also made them a few inches longer to pop over the shoulder.
The back of the bag features the city of Amsterdam, followed by Tokyo and Paris on the side pockets. I used a faux leather trim on the pockets, not because the pattern calls for this, but because I didn't have enough of the city fabric and also wanted to mirror the faux leather stripe on the front and back.
I also added rivets to the straps and zipper tab for added strength at this points.
There are two side pockets (the larger version can hold a water bottle in these), a front full width zipped pocket, and another zipped pocket inside.
Look at all that space!
The base is in a protective faux leather, making it wipe clean, and I love how it attaches to the side panels to match the stripe front and back. Genius!
What I love most about Jenny's patterns* is that there is always a clever and surprise technique or two to learn, often evolving from common pet hates among us bag makers! In the case of the Rossatron, this happens at the end of the pattern with that top zip installation, and without revealing too much, I can tell you that the drop-in lining does not make an appearance! So what are you waiting for bag maker friends? Go and grab a copy and give the Rossatron* a whirl! While you're at it, join Jenny's Facebook group for further bag makes, tips, occasional giveaways and pattern discounts!
If you've got this far in my blog post and are thinking, but I don't sew, I just love the bag...I'm currently making these to order, subject to availability of this rare fabric, in a choice of 8 cities: Amsterdam, Bangkok, London, New York, Paris, Rome, Tokyo and Sydney. I can of course make this bag in other fabrics too, but I think you will agree, this baby is a headturner! Thank you Jenny for another fabulous bag pattern!