I finally made the Bestie Bag! I am so late to the party with this make, but better late than never, right? This bag pattern has taken the community by storm since its release in 2024 and I can completely see why! Fun to sew? Check! Small amount of fabric? Check! Holds everything you need? Check! I love my Bestie!
The Bestie Bag pattern is from BF Patterns, which is my sewing bestie Caroline’s pattern company! We host Love to Sew together and so it is practically a sin that I have not made this pattern sooner, but as I said, late to the party but I’m here now!
Of course I had to use some Blackbird Fabrics fabric for this project and I even chose one of their custom printed cotton twills. I love their custom print collections and this black and white daisy print had my name all over it. You know I love a bold black and white fabric! I am also wearing this same fabric in a different print in my leopard Spindrift Jacket and I love it for that, too. The weight of this fabric is good for Bestie but just to beef it up a bit, I added some medium weight weft interfacing to all the pieces. I like how it added structure but the bag is still soft.
I went with the medium size with no pleat for this one. That is the smaller size from the base pattern. They have since added a baby Bestie expansion pack so you can make a mini Bestie. There is also a larger size. I would love to make all three! I could see the larger one for travelling because you could put a jacket or sweater inside. The mini one would be great for concerts or crowds because you can swing it around in front of your body.
I chose the tie strap and I love it! I have not adjusted it at all since making it, I just tied it at the right spot for me and I left it there. You could adjust it though, and that is a nice feature.
For the lining I could not resist a high contrast fabric and so I went with this hot pink cotton poplin. It is so bright and cheerful! I do enjoy a great lining and bags are such a perfect project for playing around with fun interiors. I prefer bright solid colours for my lining because it helps me find things. This is important with this bag style because it is basically a big sack full of stuff. It does have interior pockets but the nature of the bag shape makes these pockets only semi-useful for organizing. Things fall out and mingle around, which is totally fine by me.
I can fit everything I need in here! Even a water bottle. 10/10 would sew Bestie again! We took photos of this project on a very foggy day down by the ocean and the lighting was so cool! I got this neat shot of some people fishing in the fog.
