I made this little shoulder bag for myself. When we go on vacation or even just up to New York for the day, I like to bring a large tote to carry all the guide books, umbrellas, purchases, bottles of water, band aids™, etc.
Also inside the large tote is a small bag where I keep my wallet and other important stuff. When we go into a store where I have to check my tote, then I can just pull out the little bag so I can still pay for my purchases.
I bought this
fossil tote for
our trip to San Francisco. My New York tote is black, to hide the dirt, and I wanted something cheerier for the west coast.
I had big plans to make this little bag for the vacation, but I only got as far as crocheting it and cutting out the lining before we had to leave. So sad. Then, of course, I let it sit until we made plans to go to New York for
The Fourth. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it before we left.
I sized the bag so it would fit easily under my arm. The zipper has little fabric tabs on either end, which you can hold onto while zippering it. I should have made the zipper ends a little longer, though, because when the bag is fully opened, the zipper opening is smaller than the bag opening.
I lined the bag with the striped fabric Andrew bought me for my birthday last year. It is perfect for so many reasons: it's striped, it's got flowers in it, and it's just the right colors.
The bag has one fabric shoulder strap. I used some tiny rectangle rings as connectors.
There are a couple minor adjustments that need to be made, like the strap being too long, but overall, I love this little bag. I would also recommend that you not use metal teeth zippers on a handbag, because they catch on your fingernails a lot.
The only big problem, is that the bag doesn't stand up on it's own. In Andrew's top photo, the bag looks crisp and smart, but what it looks like all the rest of the time is the photo above.
The other bags I've designed all magically stand up and keep a flat bottom (mostly). I really like the structure and shape of my handbags and I was disappointed when this one became a lumpy bundle under my arm.
To fix this, I first thought I should reinforce it with all sorts of interfacing, but I'm starting to change my mind. I'm liking the idea of working with the soft slouchiness of crochet and making a more organically shaped bag. I don't have the whole idea yet, but it's forming.