A New Bag (for an Old Bag?)

The truth is, you see, I really like Vera Bradley bags and things. I bought my first one at a local shop with some money I received as a gift, cringing at the cost of it, but carrying it every single day that first summer. Autumn came, and so did my fascination with Ebay, and behold! I became a Vera Bradley junkie, waiting patiently until something I liked came up at far less cost than the local shop.
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Then the collection pictured to the left came out. Already the fabric sites were showing fantastic new prints in brown and aqua -- a splendid variation, I thought, on brown and pink which I also like quite a bit. I began to see people wearing brown and aqua together and Anastasia tells a very funny story about a shop in Richmond that uses these two as their signature colors. It was only a matter of time before Vera jumped onto the brown and aqua bandwagon and sure enough, I began to see people carrying these terrific bags. But even on Ebay, since they are so new, they are selling for more than I would care to pay for a handbag. (For more on the subject of overpriced handbags, you may wish to check out the ultimate one that Laurie talks about!) In short, I loved the bags in this great color combination, but I kept telling myself that it would not be long before it would be dated, and I decided to forego.
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Until Thursday of last week. When I saw one too many of these bags and saw it up close and personal. A new administrator at school came to a major meeting sporting one. And I caved. Sort of.
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Due to peculiar circumstances, by Thursday morning I'd already made three short trips to the LQS for one thing or another, and while there and waiting in line each of those times, I saw that terrific fabric on the shelf. Calling my name. To which I turned a deaf ear. Or a blind eye. Whatever.
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The speed and intention behind my Friday afternoon trip to the fabric store was such that I am fortunate I did not get pulled over to the side of the road. You would think I'd received an urgent phone call that the last yard on the last bolt was in danger of leaving the shop. I started working on my project as soon as I got home, stopping for a quick dinner and then back to work. I made major progress before bedtime.
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Saturday was an informal sewing day among eight friends in the church Fellowship Hall, and I'd already decided that my Civil War Meadowbrook Farm project was to be birthed. I got home a little after three on Saturday, had a quick nap and then went back to the bag. Didn't take long to finish the machine work. Then, after a nice dinner out with Joe, we settled down with the current Netflix ("Cousin Bette" from Masterpiece Theatre, BTW), and by the time it was finished, so was my bag. I carried it to church this morning.
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It was so much fun to make, that I have a hunch I'll be making some more bags this summer. I learned a few things while making this one, to wit: If the pattern calls for interfacing, use the blooming interfacing. And a sturdier batt would be better than a flimsier one. Two layers of flimsy batt might be fine. Improvising on accent fabrics may enhance what the pattern calls for. A teensy accent strip above the pocket is delicious and enticing. More pockets -- inside and out -- are an improvement. How soon can I start the next one?