Finished my Travel Bag

I’m going to Quilt Market next week [squeal], where my book, now officially released, will be displayed in the C&T booth [another squeal] and I needed a travel bag.  I wanted a big bag that looked more purse-like than a tote bag. One that could hold a lot (including my purse) and I could shove under the seat while on the plane. Here’s what I made.

I designed as I sewed on this one. Figuring out things as I went.

Inside: the lining has one side of “slotted” pockets, key swivel thingy, and a cute tag.

On the other side of the lining, I added a large zippered pocket.

To keep everything from sliding out and what not, I added a zipper to the top.

I reinforced the straps by adding a bit of navy canvas. The straps are integrated and the bottom is  a bit more structured than other totes I usually make. I also used this extremely stiff interfacing by Pellon: Fuse-N-Shape, to make the bag hold its box-like bottom shape. This way when I’m looking for something, the bag will stay open and I can see what’s in there. I hate big bags that are all loosy-goosey and I seem to just keep grabbing and digging, never finding the thing I’m digging for.

I’m feeling less anxious now that I have all my bags made for Quilt Market. And I really like how the bag turned out. I can wear it over my shoulder and it looks like a big purse, not a shopping tote.

Be sure to stop by in a week or so, when I’ll be sharing my adventures at Quilt Market 🙂