Monday, February 6, 2017

Mosaic Monday - My Every Day Fabric Bag


I carry a small fabric bag when I am out and about. I'm still old school, so I use a pen and paper rather an electronic device so the bag holds a coil bound book. I make notes in the book for my errands, details about items I'm on the hung for, and anything I need on that particular day.  I always carry a small measuring tape (inset in the large photo).
I have been using a black reusable bag turned inside out to hide the logo.  I had resewn the seams on this one several times over the last couple years.
With my latest surge of sewing I decided to make myself a prettier bag.  I spent about 2 weeks thinking about this project.  I started by recording the measurements of the old one and made some adjustments to the design to make it work better. Adding a pocket for my measuring tape was one of those adjustments and I wanted better attached handles.
I chose a heavy navy fabric saved from an old pair of pants. I lined it with a wonderful yellow fabric and you can see that I created X at the top of the bag where the handles are attached, this will not come apart. I chose a fabric with sunflowers on red background fabric for my pocket.  I placed it between the handles. I added a small velcro closure on the pocket to ensure I don't lose my tape measure.
Learnings: I needed to make the pocket taller than wide because I need to finish the top and bottom edges.  Some of my seams are not as straight as they should be.  The navy fabric is a bit heavy for the project. 
The bag completely covers the book and you can just see the pen nib sticking out.  I did cut a piece of heavy plastic to keep the bottom square.  It took me over 3 hours to make. Some of the seams are not as straight as they should be but overall I am happy with it. I look forward to using this bag for years to come.

Sharing at Mosaic Monday #26 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.

4 comments:

  1. Who cares if the seams aren't perfectly straight, it's a great looking bag, perfect for your needs.
    Happy MM!

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  2. Oh, I love it! I carry a bag I made but I need to make a new one. Love the fabric you used and pockets are always handy! Hugs!

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  3. Your bag looks very practical, as well as pretty with the bright lining and pocket.

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  4. A girl can never have too many totes! Happy to hear I'm not the only one who carries around pen and paper! Happy Monday!

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