The first pattern to be officially ‘minified’ is our old favourite wartime-inspired Home Front Bag”
I’ve got more than 60 bag patterns of differing shapes and sizes in the Charlie’s Aunt range, dating back over the past 15 years I’ve been designing them. Recently though, I’ve been asked if it’s possible to ‘shrink’ the pattern templates to reduce the size of some of the bags. I will go into this in more detail below, but I have been inspired to make it easier for customers by introducing smaller versions of a handful of the more enduring Charlie’s Aunt bag sewing patterns, starting with the Home Front Mini Cross-Body Bag, pictured here.
How easy is it to resize a PDF?
Whilst it is possible to print off the pattern templates at a smaller size, it’s not advisable for a number of reasons. Most importantly, for ease of use, Charlie’s Aunt sewing pattern templates are drawn with the seam allowance already added. As many of the patterns have multi-pieced fronts, some with asymmetrical angles, they are meticulously planned with the correct seam allowances so they stitch together perfectly.
The thing to remember is if you shrink a pattern template to 70% of the original size, for example, you will only have 70% of the original seam allowance. So if the seam allowance was just over 1cm, then you would only have a 7mm seam allowance on the reduced version, which is simply not sufficient for a bag that will be carrying some weight. You would then have to add the 30% back on to the seam allowance before cutting the bag out which, as mentioned, may complicate some of the piecing.
Then there is the issue of the snaps etc being closer to the edge of the flap than is advisable, plus the fact that the strap templates will also be narrower and shorter than the required width and length. Finally, the quantities of the fabrics and notions required to make the bag will also have to be adjusted considerably.
Plans for new smaller versions of Charlie’s Aunt favourites
As mentioned, I have so many different styles of bag that I make in sizes that suit the design and functionality, so there shouldn’t really be any need to alter the size. However, having been asked about this multiple times, I felt it was time to revisit a couple of my old favourite Charlie’s Aunt designs and produce ‘mini’ versions – many of them with additional features. Although they will be in separate PDFs (to avoid ‘over-complicating’ the originals with reems of templates), if you purchase either the original or the updated mini version, you will have access to both PDF patterns (so two sizes for the price of one).
The Home Front Mini Cross-Body Bag
As mentioned above, the first bag to be ‘minified’ is the wartime-inspired Home Front Bag. This is one of my original six patterns and has remained a firm favourite with me. By reducing the size and producing a cute, cross-body version, I’m hoping the Home Front Mini Cross-Body Bag will appeal to a whole new audience. It certainly looks very different in the reduced size. The pattern also has a couple of modifications, including an additional interior zippered pocket plus instructions for an adjustable strap.
The good news for fans of small bags is that this little gem can be made from fairly meagre amounts of fabrics, and can combine two or three fabrics to great effect. The tan and grey version of the bag – pictured here on the beautiful Suffolk coast, which rather appropriately has a history firmly linked to our country’s defence in the 1940s – features a contrasting self-fabric adjustable strap and tab fastener, along with two other blending shades of wool tweed for the top half, lower half and flap. I think these lovely little bags would make great gifts as they are a useful size and shape with a broader base than some of the ‘messenger’ style bags in the collection.
To purchase the Home Front Bag in both sizes, visit the Charlie’s Aunt Etsy shop. You will also find fabrics packs that are suitable for this style, many of them limited edition or one-offs.
Happy sewing!
