The bag

So I finished the bag.

I may not have given it my all (other than all my speed), but it held up well to being carried for 14 days, stuffed full, all the time, everywhere. It also proved the perfect format; large enough to carry the necessities (and then some), but not so big it becomes unwieldy or too heavy.

I drafted it myself; length and width in magazine size (gotta have fashion magazines!) plus 2 inches, and about 4 inches deep.

I interlined it with fleece from an IKEA blanket bought for this pupose. The bottom is stabilized with stiff (pelmet?) iron-on interfacing, and the handles with a layer of fleece and some topstitching. I inserted a regular dress zipper because, um, that's what I had!

Finally, I added two large pockets on the outside, one large and three small ones on the inside, and a matryoshka key chain.

Oh yes, and the matryoshka applique I can't seem to live without these days.

It may be a very colorful and playful bag for a grown woman, and I'm not usually one for juvenile fashions, but the colors make me happy, and I like to carry something my kids have fun with, too. So this is, for the time being, my official mommy bag. (Aren't I glad to be rid of diaper bags!)