My new bag!

Okay, so I am totally in l-o-v-e with this bag! I had been wanting to make it ever since I got the new issue of Stitch magazine, but I finally had a chance to work on it over the weekend. It is awesome. It's called the "Spring Tote Bag" and the pattern is by Rashida Coleman-Hale from i heart linen. I bought a bunch of linen just for this (and I have a couple of yards left over, so you'll be seeing it pop up in more projects) but everything else came from my stash.

Except the grommets. The grommets (called "eyelets" on the package but "grommets" on the pattern) were purchased especially for this. I was really nervous about putting them in. The whole idea of poking holes into something I'd just spent time making kinda freaked me out. I actually considered making button holes on my machine instead for the same effect. But I ultimately tried the grommets. And let me tell you something: setting grommets is totally badass! I felt like a crafty superstar, pounding away with my hammer at 11am on Sunday morning.

And the results! This bag is roomy and deep and sturdy (fusible fleece!) but the straps are interfaced and hold it up well. The top really cinches pretty tight, which was a nice surprise (though I don't know why that surprised me...) Other than dealing with the shiftiness of the linen, which made it tricky to cut the pattern pieces, this was easy to assemble. I followed the instructions pretty exactly. I did stitch a dividing line down the inner pocket to make one side of it just for my cell phone. I also added an interfaced loop inside the bag for me to hook my keys on.

Have I said that I love this bag? I love this bag.