Can-do Attitude or Unsufferable Arrogance?

My friend Lauren (i.e. professional clothing designer/pattern-maker extraordinaire) thinks it's funny that I one time sewed a dress for myself. With most things in life, I have this attitude of, "How hard can it be?" My experience making boxer shorts years before had contributed to this perspective about making my own clothes.

That one-time dress-making experience changed that attitude. I wish I still had that dress. I bet Lauren would get a real kick out of looking at the makeshift job I did. It was rather funny, at the time and in hindsight: I couldn't find a dress that I liked, I had a vision of what I wanted, and so assumed that I could recreate that vision (despite a lack of pattern or anything to guide me). Valentino I ain't!

A recent post here led me to this, which makes me want to get back my can-do attitude about sewing and give it a try again. This is all in spite of a lack of a.) a sewing machine, and b.) knowledge about materials and notions and such, so I'd likely end up with a bag that would come apart the first time I proudly showed it off.

Still, this bag is so cute (wasp/honeycomb print included!) that I may just have to attempt it when I finally get some free time. It even includes a pattern! How hard can it be?