Looking at old family photos, I spotted the handbag which has now become the inspiration for the new Dunwich Bag”
My mother has inspired my latest bag sewing pattern. In the 1950s and 60s, she was something of a style icon, although she would laugh if I said that to her now. She had (and still has, despite being well into her 80s) what money can’t buy, and that is a classy, tasteful sense of style. As a teenager and into her early 20s, she had so little money that she spent it very wisely on good quality investment pieces – not unlike the ethos of today, where buying fewer items but choosing good quality or ‘home-grown’ pieces is preferable for so many reasons.
More about the inspiration for the new Dunwich Bag PDF
My mum’s sister, Pat (pictured centre below), used to work in a womenswear shop in the local town and helped with the purchasing. She would earmark pieces for my mum to ‘save up’ for.
Mum’s outfits for me as a small child growing up were memorable. This was partly because there were so few, but mainly because I can remember how classy she looked, plus all the compliments she garnered from admirers. In fact, photos of mum and her siblings in the late 1950s had an almost ‘film star-like’ quality.
As I’ve mentioned before, because my mother has been loathed to part with much over the years, some of her wardrobe items from the 1960s and early 70s have survived. Sadly, a stylish 1960s dress with diamante fell prey to my sister and I overenthusiastically attempting to ‘punkify’ it in the 80s, and many of her lovely ‘Bardot’ neckline tops and suits, she simply wore out.
But, I have kept two suits, one in a deep salmon coloured plain herringbone weave wool, with a skirt and short jacket, and the other a trouser suit in a ginger wool tweed (to be featured in a forthcoming autumn blog!). Rediscovering this gem while recently packing up to move house remined me of how much I like the more subdued 1960s fashions. It got me looking at more old photos and I spotted the handbag, which has now become the inspiration for the new Dunwich Bag. This sleekly rounded shape and simplicity were also popular in the 1940s, and really were repeated in the 60s, as it is with the endless cycle of fashion.
Pattern details
The Dunwich Bag features an inset front panel, and a decorative tab trim on the elegant rectangular flap. It can be made with two or three co-ordinating fabrics and as with many of the patterns in the Charlie’s Aunt range, it looks equally good in traditional wool tweeds and retro printed canvas/linen fabrics.
Dunwich features two internal pockets – one zippered and one patch. You can add one or both as you prefer. Although it has a ‘set in’ oval shaped base, this is straightforward to stitch together and gives a really sturdy bottom to the bag. You can see the similarities to the bags mum and Shirley are carrying in the old picture above. I’ve used a fusible interfacing and a foam stabiliser which worked very well for the style.
The PDF pattern has 19 pages—11 pages including the cover, general, cutting out and step-by-step instructions, and 8 pattern sheets with the templates, which you must print and cut out. As always, templates are actual size and all seam allowances are included.
I’ve travelled along the coast a way into Suffolk for the title of this bag which is named after a village with a fascinating history, set in the county’s wonderful ‘coasts and heaths’ area of outstanding natural beauty.
Where to buy
You can purchase the new Dunwich Bag PDF sewing pattern from the Charlie’s Aunt Etsy shop. Don’t forget to check out the fabrics in stock for wonderful autumn/winter makes. Email emma@charliesaunt.com for more information.
