The Felted Flop

Several months back I decided that I was going to make a felted bag in the round. I also was going to make the pattern as I went along, envisioning a rectangular base with tall sides that angled outward from the bottom up. Instead I got a big floppy mess that doesn't hold its shape despite careful drying in the "right" position. This was back in July. Since then, the bag has sat on my dryer (along with my dining room placemats that needed to be steam ironed, haven't gotten to that either) with it's handles on top, waiting to be finished.

I even got a fabulous fabric to line the bag:

One of the reasons this project has pretty much come to a screeching halt is that the remaining steps require hand sewing. I can't sew. I just learned how to sew buttons, so I am not sure why I thought lining a rectangular bag and attaching handles was such a good idea.