Why *Not* Skulls and Penguins?

I saw this and knew my almost-13-year-old would want it, probably with skulls on.

I was right, but she also wanted penguin fabric inside. She's a complex girl.

Can I brag and say I did this in ONE night (insert applause here)?

I found the pattern while doing my daily troll through the craft: blog, and I got *so* excited that I forgot to print the pattern. I did find the link again, however the clever creator had gotten so many hits that she (smartly) decided to sell the pattern on Etsy. (She ended up refunding my 2.75 since I already had the tutorial, and was very helpful in assisting me with my mental moment - I couldn't figure out how to blow up the pattern for actual use. Don't judge me!) As with all things, I had to hold on to my fiery determination and do it RIGHT AWAY or it would never happen (yay, I'm an Aries), and so having obtained the pattern yesterday, this is what I did last night:



The pattern was really well written... not being an expert sewer, I was slightly fearful of the zipper portion, but I put my faith in the pattern and took it a step at a time, even when I couldn't quite wrap my head around what I was doing, which was hard for me, and the zipper came out PERFECTLY. (It took me until 2 years ago to learn to use a sewing machine because I couldn't figure out the mechanics, if that explains me at all.)

Let's delve deeper, shall we? I veered from the written pattern a little bit, opting to sew both ends of the strap to the D-rings instead of using an adjustable ring, and using black plastic D-rings instead of the usual metal ones. In retrospect, I wouldn't do that again because while the plastic ones are the right width, they're a hell of a lot thicker, and as a result I had to fold over more fabric than I might have, resulting in an remarkably small opening... good thing she's got thin hands. (Please note beheaded penguin.)



I also added pockets inside...the pictures of them are impossible, since of course the opening is SO DAMN SMALL I couldn't even open it enough to take a photo inside without it being cave-like. Suffice it to say they fit her phone and Zune well, so mission accomplished.



I was particularly proud that the strap ended up being the accent I'd hoped for (the penguins weren't that densely populated on the fabric), with one single penguin hanging out on the side. (The skull key chain was a nice touch, don't you think?)



Thank you Ms. Wilson!