Vampire Dress - Handbag

Hi all,
For some reason this costume isnt going as well as some of my previous ones... Probably due to the fact that I didnt really have a clear idea of what I wanted to do, unlike some previous projects. So when I got the the handbag, I know which fabric and I wanted to use, but that was about it... Up until about an hour before starting this, I still wanted to make a round bag! I knew that I didnt want a bag with a long shoulder strap as that wouldnt be great with the jacket, and in the end I decided on this cute little tote design:

This bag actually stands straight, as opposed to my charger bag that I made a few days ago... But I really tried better this time and measure, hihi.

The bag is lined with a linen cotton blend which I had lying around somewhere and was perfect to give a bit of shape to the bag. I just dont trust this lovely purple fabric not to tear when holding all my things! I didnt line the handles though which might be my downfall in the end but it's all put together now so let's hope for the best.

I used some of the rosettes I tried for the skirt as embellishments for the bag. I made yoyos with the purple fabric and finished with another black rose. I like it :) Both front and back look the same so I dont have to pay attention how I'm carrying this.

I added some felt bats on the bottom as another embellishment from my felt stash. The purples were just perfect :) Cutting the bats was interesting and they're by no means perfect but they're cute I think! Very vampy :) I might add some more spiders down the line but for now I think it's ok.

For some reason I also couldnt decide on the look for the top of the bag, Should I add elastic and therefore not need a closure? Should I add a strap that could go over the bag and therefore close it? Should I just leave it open like a normal tote? Should I add a button in the middle and close it like that? In the end I settled on two press-studs carefully hidden on the inside of the bag (at the top) so that I can snap it shut when it rains. I just hope it wont get too full so it will still close, but with this design I thought this was a good idea. Plus you dont really see the stitching on the outside unless you look really closely :) I also added a piece of cardboard in the bottom for extra stability but I can take that out anytime as I didnt really sew it in. I'm loving this bag already!

So this is it again, I absolutely love it! If the handles hold, I can so see myself use this for many more events that are just in daily life or even just as a fancy lunch bag, hihi. I dont think it would surprise anyone if I were to show up at work with this :)

Having finished the bag, that also means that my vampire dress is now officially done! *dances around for joy* I will have a dress-rehearsal sometime this week I hope so I will try to get some pics up then, otherwise you might have to wait until after the event... I'll do my best :)

Still on the list to finish before the event: zombie top and zombie corset. But that's for another day...