Dinah Bag by Catsiopeia

Is this the Cutest Cat-shaped Bag Ever?

Well, look what the cat dragged in! My latest make is this sweet little cat bag from Catsiopeia. It is actually named the Dinah Bag though I’m not sure why.

I am (mostly) a dog person now, but for years we had only cats and I am intimately aware of their beauty, calmness and aloofness. Even more importantly, I know a special person who actually has and loves cats and loves bags. Time to get the claws out and dig in!

The Pattern from Catsiopeia

This is my first time buying a pattern from Catsiopeia, a US-based designer. She has a number of unique shaped bags in her lineup, but this one really struck me as being super cute. I had been eyeing it for a while. The cost was middle of the row and included all the pattern pieces which also come as .SVG files! This is so great if you want to cut your fabric out on cutting machine such as a Cricut maker. I’m loving this trend!

The bag is a nice medium size for everyday use. It is quite deep and wide with finished dimensions at 9.5″ tall, 10.5″ wide and 2.5″ wide at the bottom. There is a zipper pocket on the back and huge slip pocket in the front. The interior also sports a zipper pocket. There is no top closure, but the top flap comes over the entire bag and is nestles snugly between the ears. The top is quite narrow as the bag shape widens out at the bottom. The contents seem quite safe and secure.

Fabric and Supplies

Okay, just be honest with me, you think I use the black army duck waxed canvas fabric from Emmaline Bags too much, don’t you? I knew it! But, I just adore working with this fabric so much! It produces such a nice structured bag with a professional finished look. It cuts and sews so well. I could use it without interfacing, but adding some of my favourite medium weight woven interfacing makes it just the right sturdiness for a finished bag exterior. It has really upped my bag making game in my opinion. I just love working with it so lets not get into a cat fight about it. I’ll just sit over here curled up in the sun.

Hardware from Atelier Fiber Arts

So, all black waxed canvas on the exterior and interfaced cotton for the lining. My thread is the Black 3-Ply Bonded Nylon thread from Paccana as purr usual.

I was also so excited to pounce onto some all black matte hardware. Course I finally had a great reason to go to the darkest bag supplier, Atelier Fiber Arts. I got black on black #5 zipper tape, snap hooks and d-rings, magnetic snaps, rivets and zipper pulls! Quite the haul to maul. Fast shipping too – purrfection!

Oh, I also received an extra unexpected gift in my parcel – a label. It is so ideal for this project I burst out laughing when I saw it. Exactly right for the recipient – just the cat’s meow! I placed it on the front but under the flap for politeness sake. It is pictured below if you are not likely to be offended.

The Instructions

Well I nearly had kittens when I saw the instructions! They are in all caps! ugh. I felt strangely like I was being yelled whenever I looked at the instructions. Also, all caps is actually really hard to read. It felt like a cat on a hot tin roof trying to get through it! Not a fan.

Not to be catty, but I also found the instructions a little …um, let say fluffy. I pawed and prodded at them but they just didn’t flow well for me. But, there is more than one way to skin a cat and I went hunting for a tutorial. I did find one on YouTube, but honestly it also wasn’t the best for me. It was all done on an industrial and the use of vinyl and other modifications meant some instructions weren’t resonating for me.

I purrsisted and in the end, the pattern itself turned out not to be difficult or overly complex really. I ended up purring along quite nicely in spite of my early concerns.

The Cat’s Whiskers

Because this bag was ending up in the hands of a adult person, I made the cat face a little subtle with all black thread against the black fabric. I just outlined the nose rather than adding the vinyl scrap.

I think it turned out really well and left me grinning like a Cheshire cat. I thought the black matte hardware on black waxed canvas was so smart looking. Let’s hope it has nine lives!

See below for a couple more angles of the finished bag and the label added to the front.