Inspiration can come from anywhere....

I recently came across an article that introduced me to "The Last Blockbuster" aka @loneblockbuster on twitter, which took me straight back to my childhood and left me laughing hysterically ; ) If you were fortunate enough to have Blockbuster in your life growing up, be sure to check it out, it does not disappoint!

I loved going there as a kid and picking out a new movie or game to enjoy for the weekend, accompanied with candy of course. I can distinctly remember my brother buying the Star Wars Trilogy on VHS here and going back for the special edition version that came in a gold box. Though I love Netflix &  instant streaming, it was the experience of going here that was so memorable.

Which is why I was immediately inspired to turn this 90's memory into my next custom bag!

For the design I debated on whether to do a VHS box or the Membership card, but decided that the card would be the perfect opportunity to use some really awesome iridescent vinyl I had just purchased. I thought this would look amazing to resemble the plastic around the edges!

Next I created the pattern. I decided to make this a clutch with no straps to keep the look as close as possible to the actual card. Luckily I had all the right colors on hand.

If I am able to, I always try to sew appliqué pieces for the designs I make. Sometimes elements get really small but I'm usually up for the challenge. For this bag however, I needed to incorporate some really really small text for the "Membership Card" section that was just not do-able. This part would have been excellent as embroidery but since I don't have that equipment I improvised.

I decided to create this part using an iron-on transfer. And instead of using a solid blue background, I took a picture of the blue glitter vinyl I was using so I could match the background perfectly!

I wasn't sure how this would turn out but it is way better than I expected! I tried a few different shades of blue to get a perfect match and as you can see in the pictures, you can barely tell that this is an iron-on and not blue glitter vinyl!

Next I added the gold border. This piece consists of straight edges and to ensure they stayed straight while sewing I used a ruler as a guide. This is a trick I use on every bag I hand make, and it really does a world of difference.

 

One of the most important pieces to add was the Blockbuster letters. I had very little room for error on this part and was working to my limit in terms of how tiny these pieces were. Thankfully patience came to the rescue yet again and they went on straight and spelled correctly! Haha! ; )

After adding the letters I sewed on the white design details.

Also, since the body of the bag is made of clear vinyl I hand knotted the thread for every appliqué piece. This way I didn't damage the vinyl with too many hole punctures and it also makes the top stitching look really clean.

Originally I was going to be done here....

BUT I thought it was missing a little something special...This is when I decided to incorporate my love of getting candy on my movie rental trips and ended up adding a Sour Patch Kids pocket on the inside! This is one of my favorite candies so it seemed like the best choice

I made this piece using an iron on transfer which was perfect for making the design stand out.

Next it was time to sew this all together! Since I wanted the bag to be transparent, I did not add a lining. Instead I attached the inner pocket and zipper like normal then closed the side edges with a topstitch.

And Voila! The bag was done! Hope you guys like how it turned out! ; )