I have have very few domestic skills. Practically zero. I don't really cook beyond very basic meals. I am horrible at cleaning. (My house is in a constant state of shifting chaos.) I don't garden and my home maintenance abilities are limited to very simple toilet fixes.
But sewing... That's one thing I can do. I'm not sure why. It's something I learned to do as a little girl. I would occasionally sew my own clothes. (Although when I was first learning, I had outgrown the dress I was making before I finished it.) When I was about 10 years old, I even gave a presentation in 4-H on how to sew a purse. I had several models of the same bag in various stages of production to use on my demonstration. It was pretty advanced stuff for a kid, if I do say so myself.
So, look! Here's a grown-up version of a handmade purse that I sewed myself.
This little patchwork handbag was a great project . I really like both the look and practicality, and I've gotten very good use out of the bag. For this project, I started with Simplicity Pattern 2617. Where the pattern calls for an open top with a magnetic snap closure, I wanted a zipper. (I don't know how anyone manages to prevent stuff from falling out otherwise!) So I adjusted the pattern to add the zipper and made sure that it had some "tail" to so that the bag could be opened widely when it was unzipped.
I'm very pleased with the end result and have been able to use this bag for multiple seasons. I enjoy using my sewing skills to create things and look forward to sharing my future projects!