{Riley Blake Designs} Animal Kingdom

By now you know my (and my tween daughter's) affinity for animal print. We're wild about them! HA!

We got really excited when we saw "Animal Kingdom" by the Riley Blake Design Team. This fun collection has an assortment of animal prints -- crocs, snake, leopard, giraffe, zebra and tiger - oh my!

I had to refrain from sewing up more leopard print -- even though it's my favorite. I selected the Animal Kingdom Crocodile in Black with intentions of maybe some cool, slim trousers. My tween had other ideas for the fabric, however.

Recently Bruges from Little Lizard King released and it reminded me how much I love sewing purses and bags. This time, my daughter requested the large size, vertical purse. By adding some midweight stabilized to each piece, this Riley Blake fabric was perfect for a faux croc purse!

The large size easily fits all of her essentials. The slip pocket inside helps keep it organized. This purse is finished with bound edges inside which helps provide additional structure on the gusset and there's no awkward "birthing" process through the lining.

She likes that she can wear it as both a backpack and as a crossbody purse.

This fabric is definitely tween approved! And while it was not my original plan, this will get way more use than some slim pants. I call it a win! (Plus, she gave me my pineapple bag back in exchange for this... hehe)