You haven’t heard from me in a month because I’ve been attempting to take a break. I’d been so busy in October working on a project for school. (I was named costume designer for a 17-character play called Going Mad: Alice in Hollywoodland.) It was a great experience, but it drained me. That said, once it was over I kinda fell into a post-project funk.

My goal for this break in November was to craft and play. I wanted to do puzzles and doodle and make adorable nonsensical things with the doodads and thingamajigs hanging around my sewing room. And I did none of that…well mostly none of that.

The funk that I fell into coupled with seasonal depression, election stress, my generalized anxiety disorder, the rational fear that this pandemic will in fact be the end of us all, insomnia and you know, being a black woman in America…all of that lead to me wanting to do nothing but nap, eat carbs and drink wine.

Halfway through the month, I picked up some freelance work that was actually really great in getting my mind back into focus and structuring my schedule again. The structure helped me focus on a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while: remixing my favorite costume pieces from movies.

The first costume that I wanted to remix was Leeloo’s fight outfit from The Fifth Element. Please note, I didn’t want to make the costume for myself. Seeing me bound up like a sausage isn’t something anyone needs. Instead I wanted to create something inspired by the costume. My solution? A tote bag.

I made a sketch of the bag, several sketches actually, and came up with something that would not only translate as Leeloo’s costume, but would also be functional for me. Leeloo’s suspenders would serve as the straps. And her pants would be the inspiration for the body of the bag. I was able to find some crazy cheap orange and gold vinyl on Fabric.com. And because it was the end of the ream, I got a little extra.

I also wanted the bag to have a nice big pocket on the outside for my water bottle or travel mug, since I always have either with me. And it needed to have at least two sections inside…I’m a fan of a partition.

Next I made a pattern. I won’t share the details…it was a lot of math. But I was able to make it work with only 4 pattern pieces. And before I cut the design fabric, I made a toile out of muslin to make sure the pattern worked. I ended up with straps that were too short on the sides. So I adjusted the pattern and cut it out.

The most difficult part was probably the cutouts on the straps. Cutting them out wasn’t the hard part. Sewing around them to anchor them to the back strap piece was what was so difficult.

…but still I rise…

Actually, sewing through several layers of vinyl was no walk in the park. But using the proper needle and settings definitely made it a less awful experience.

And with out further ado, here’s the finished product!

At the end of November, I ended up with a few extra bucks thanks to freelance, my cute tote bag and inspiration to continue with these costume remix projects. Next up is House Party 2. I can’t wait to share with you all.

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What I Did on My Fall Vacation: 2020