Here's the bag I made for my sister. It's from the book Sew Serendipity Bags by Kay Whitt (I'll post a review of the book soon). All the fabric I chose is 100% organic cotton from four different Cloud9 collections. I love the way they look together! Bold geometric paired with floral outline, mixed with a bit of dots and feathers for accent. I think I might need a moment to admire my own work...
After finishing the bag, I decided it needed a removable pocket organizer for all those little things like pens, notebooks, chap stick, etc. I made it as one long piece with pockets on both sides, then added large snaps so that it could be formed into a loop to stand on its own inside the bag. The four layers of interfacing I used also helped with that.
Then I packed that bag with all sorts of wonderful, interesting, tasty things. There's a small box of crackers, a bar of dark chocolate (wrapped in white paper so my little guy wouldn't see and try to eat it), a notebook to which I fused pretty fabric, a couple pens and a pencil, a set of my stitched envelopes, two fat quarters, buttons (some I covered myself), a chap stick, an assortment of Starburst, and the Double Zip Wallet I made.
One of my favorite features of this bag, is the versatile handle that can be either two short handles for toting around or one long one for slinging over the shoulder.
My sister loves the bag and I am so glad that I could lay my worries to rest. It was the first time I'd ever sewed her something so...important for someone else. I mean, she could potentially carry this bag everywhere! It had to be good. I even finished the binding by hand to avoid weird crooked stitches on the outside. So, yeah, I tried hard.
And now you get to see the beautiful bag I got from my sister! It's a messenger-style bag with an adjustable shoulder strap and lots of pockets to keep things organized. The pocket on the inner side is perfect for anything you want to keep close and safe. The pocket on the front side has a magnetic snap that opens and closes easily. Plus, there is a pocket on each of the narrower sides for quick access stuff.
The bag has a zipper that extends beyond the edge on one side, allowing it to open wide so I can see everything inside. And inside are even more pockets to keep things. There are elasticized pockets on one side and two compartments separated by a zipper pocket large enough for a laptop.
The fabric she used for the bag makes me so, so happy! Just looking at it makes me smile. No kidding. The green and white polka dot plays so well with the colorful main print. And, as you can see from the picture of me modeling my awesome new bag, it goes with my outfits.
She put in some extras to go along with the bag. I can't wait to open up that bar of dark chocolate, and I've already started forming plans on what to make with the fabric. As soon as we finish moving, I want to start planning another small swap. I'm thinking an accessories swap, or maybe a table runner swap, or maybe... Oh, I don't know, but it will be fun!