I used a velveteen material to line this one with and found I do like it very much as it gives the bag body and structure or form. Granted, it was a bit more difficult to do the gathering row because the material is so thick but I managed to gather it nicely by pulling my gathering stitches tightly as I went along.
I purchased dark purple handles at Joann's that would match this bag perfectly, only trouble being that the handles were cheaply painted and the paint kinda chipped or rubbed off easily and made the handles look used and junky. I wanted a more elegant look for this bag because of the lining I chose the clear handles which go nicely with the shiny embroidery in the fancy lining material.
Adding a jeweled barrette I found at a 98 cent store to the outside as an embellishment completed the fancy look I was working on and I'm very pleased with this bag. It'll cause me a bit of pain to give it away but I'm sure making someone else happy with it will ease that pain and make me feel great. lol.
One thing I'd like to point out for all Fat Bottom Bags - I was using magnetic snaps as closures on some of the FBBs I've made in the past. I found the clasps to be more of a bother than they're worth. They tend to not open easily and pull on the crochet yarn too much. One bag that I gave to a friend of mine actually unraveled because of the way the snaps pulled on the yarn when she opened her bag each time. I am going to repair her bag and add a different type of closure, probably a crocheted strap to go over the top with a button hole and a nice looking button or will make a yarn button for closure.
