It's done!!

Here it is! My beach bag, all done. I finished it at lunch time yesterday and when I got home from work that night, there was Sally Stitch wearing a shirt that's a perfect match. I was going to model the bag but Sally looks better (she had all afternoon to get ready you know!) so I'll let her have her moment in the sun!

I have views of the front with the big pocket that gets separated into 3 parts after the handle is stitched down. There's a view of the patch pocket on the back and BTW they're big enough to hold a book or a magazine.

I used the zipper gusset closing instead of a snap because that makes it a bit more secure. I now wish that I'd used my striped fabric in that area because I think that would have given it more zing.

I learned a lesson with this bag. When I sewed the handles down to the bag, I started from the bottom of the bag and stopped at the top of the pockets (even though the pattern had directions that said you could stitch as high as an inch from the top of the bag) and after I was done, I realized that if I'd stitched them further up on the bag it would have given it more support. As it was, the bag wanted to flop around too much for me. So I stitched the handles down a little further AFTER I finished the bag. All this means is that that last minute sewing now shows on the lining but that's ok because it just results in making the lining a little more secure.

Here's the inside zipper pocket.

I'm happy with my bag! I know it will work well for me. What's really nice is that you can also use the big outside pocket pattern on the inside, you just sew it into 3 sections. Imagine how much more storage that would give you.

I already bought some more material (yes, I bought some more material! Not the same pink stuff I promise) and I'm going to make one of these for my sister. Her birthday is in February and what do you think the chances are that I'll actually finish it in time?