A Bag for Me

I was out of town for a few days last week, and then classes started back up, so I've been doing less work on my Etsy store lately. Sales are still trickling in though, so I'm okay with that. As soon as I get a chance I'll list some more bags and try to amp up for a "seasonal rush". (fingers crossed) But not just yet. I'm going out of town again this week. 

I found outduring my last trip that the Momma/Baby all-in-one bag is not good fortravel with the laptop. The weight of the computer puts stress on all the wrong points, and it turns out that carrying a laptop backpack style is not as easy as I hoped it would be. So for this trip, I'm going back to my usual laptop bag.

But I can not prepare for travel and/or meeting new people without creating a SOME new purse for the occasion. This trip is for a professional conference, so I wanted a bag that is a little less distracting than my usual. I also wanted something bigger than my usual, so that I can carry a bunch of extra papers and maybe even a water bottle.

So here's what I came up with.  The shape is nothing special (ah well). It's just a basic 12x11 rectangular sleeve. But then it gets more interesting. First, it's reversible. 

One side is black denim, very plain. I'm planning to use this side for 1" buttons and ribbons and other embellishments on-the-fly.

The other side is a patchwork of different colored microsuede --which turned out pretty nice. I love the microsuede to start with, and then topstitching all the seams makes it look even cooler.

The top is open so I can drop things in and take things out easily. The strap is adjustable so that I can wear it over my shoulder or across my chest, as the case may be. I needed some way to keep it from gapping open, so I made a minimal flap (also reversible) and put a pin on it for weight.

I took it to school with me to day for a trial run and it seemed to be fine for ordinary day use. I'll report back on how it survived a field test to the Grace Hopper Conference in Keystone, CO.
(www.gracehopper.org)

:-)