Mrs. Gus is here!

Here she is, a perfect companion to Mr. Gus.

She is elegant and practical, choosing to keep her pockets hidden away, while Mr. Gus likes to show off his bells and whistles. There are 9 pockets in all, with customizable widths to meet your needs.

I'm very pleased with how Mrs. Gus turned out and am happy to share this variation with you!

Happy making!

Materials :

To make Mrs. Gus, you will need the original Gus Tool bag pattern. There are no changes to the original instruction unless otherwise noted here.

* Please refer to the the original pattern instruction to substitute with the steps outlined below

WS=wrong side RS=right side

Step 1

1. Fuse the wrong side of Exterior panel with interfacing (Pellon 808/809 or equilvalent)
2. Fuse the wrong side of Lining panel, Pocket Panel, and Pocket Lining panel with interfacing (Pellon SF101 or equivalent).

Step 2 & 3

As per original instruction

Step 4 - make interior pockets

1. Pin the top and bottom edge of Pocket Panel to the Pocket Lining Panel, right sides facing. Stitch with a 1/4"[6mm] seam allowance.

2. Press seam open and turn it right side out. Topstitch the top side of the assembled Pocket unit, with a 1/4"[6mm] seam allowance. Repeat to assemble remaining Pocket unit.

Step 5 - attach base to the exterior main panel

1. Press the long edges of the Base Panel 3/8"[1cm] towards the wrong side of the fabric. Set aside.

2. Place the Base Panel (right side up) on top of the assembled Exterior Panel. Equal spacing of Exterior Panels will ensure Base Panel seams to line up properly later. Pin carefully through both layers and topstitch double lines across the long edge, 1/4"(6mm) apart.

3. Follow the original pattern instructions starting, steps 5e~6c.

Step 7 - attach pockets to the lining

1. Place the assembled Pocket Panel (right side up) on top of the Lining Panel (right side up).

2. Baste the sides of the Pocket Panel and the Lining Panel.

3. Edgestitch the bottom long edge of the Pocket Panel.

4. Repeat for the other Pocket Panel.

5. Follow the original instruction Step 7 a-b to sew the Pocket Dividers.

Step 8

1. Omit Step 8, as the handles are going to be attached later on.

Step 9 - 11

1. Follow the original pattern instruction. Here's a view of Step 9a for this variation.

Step 12 - attach handles

1. Attach Leather Handles using double cap rivets. I used a medium size double cap rivets with 7mm die. The handle spacing suggested below is for the Small Gus bag, but you can vary it to suit your need.

All done!

If you'd like additional compartments, here's a free pattern for making these mini Gus bin inserts.

Kindly,
Darae

Please share your lovely makes on social media using hashtag #indigobirddesign #indigobirdpattern #gusbag #gusbin #gustoolbag