Blissful Blooms – NEA Crossbody Bag

With the abundance of gorgeous florals in fuchsia, purple, pink, and just enough of the fresh green, today might feel like wandering through a summer garden! Hi, I’m Damjana from AppleGreen Cottage and what you see here is my NEA crossbody purse in the stunning new Lila Tueller’s Blissful Blooms collection.

The NEA crossbody purse pattern came to life because I needed a stylish and functional slim crossbody bag for just the essentials. One that lets you pack super light, no bulk at all. Toss in your phone, wallet, and sunglasses and grab your keys and you’re good to go!

And this time, I made one in Lila’s Blissful Blooms Main print, in the navy colorway. I found it a perfect background to the captivating pinks, purples, and fuchsia on the main. And I chose to pair it with the navy print from the Sparkler basics collection, to give a contrasting frame to the rich florals. These work amazingly well together.

The NEA bag is ideal for when you need a bit more than a phone pocket but don’t need a full-sized handbag. It makes a great travel set with the popular Kalina Mini Wallet pattern. And I love the handy zip pocket at the back, it’s perfect for my phone’s earbuds:

The easy-access front phone pocket with a flap turned out to be absolutely perfect to showcase the beautiful, large florals on the Blissful Blooms Main:

There’s a funny thing about this pocket flap. It started with the third or fourth Nea bag I’ve made – somehow I always end up using my seam ripper on it. This time, I forgot to add it into the right seam. Tell me I’m not the only designer who fails to follow their own pattern instructions!

And I haven’t yet even mentioned the main compartment of the NEA bag – it’s quite simple: it has a top magnetic closure and a simple slip pocket, acting as a divider. Let me give you a sneak peak into the bag’s interior:

Open the magnetic snap and what you meet there are stunning, rich pinks of the Tonal Print – and there’s just a little peek of a captivating Damask print on the slip pocket. (Tip from a fabric addict: always look for Damask prints in Lila’s collections, they are stunning – modern, vibrant, so playful. And impossible to walk away from!)

Now it’s your turn to sew and enjoy all these pretty prints of the Blissful Blooms collection. Take a look at the storyboard and let it walk you through the gorgeously vibrant palette of fuchsia, purple, pink, and navy. It does feel like wandering through a summer garden!

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Tag @rileyblakedesigns when you sew something with this collection, or use hashtags #blissfulbloomsfabric #rileyblakedesigns #iloverileyblake. The fabric is on its way to your favorite quilt shops.