The Thing She Carried

She came into school to attend a meeting.  It was the first time I'd met her, and she was awfully nice, and she was personable, and she was obviously very bright.  The kind of person -- you know -- that has it all.  And, indeed, she did have it all.  She was carrying the most amazing handbag (and I believe if you click on it you can see a larger, clearer, brighter version of it), and after the meeting, Gabrielle and I descended upon her to get a closer look.  And she generously let us peruse her handbag to our hearts' content.

Someone had given it to her, she said, and she loved it.  She just wished it was bigger.  Like a tote bag, she said.

I asked if we could get a photograph of the bag -- I wanted to try to make a similar one for myself.  She went me one better.  "I'm an interior decorator," she told me, "and I have left-over fabric galore.  How about I bring you some and you give it a try -- make one for each of us -- I'll bring the fabric, you provide the labor."

Such a deal!

It has taken far too long for me to fulfill my part of the bargain.  But at last I have finished hers and am eager to begin my own.  Here's my interpretation of Kristine's Bag.  I made it using the fabric she provided, following the dimensions and directions for "Jackie's Sewing Bag" from Living the Dream by Leanne Beasley.

My version, I think, is a bit tamer than Kristine's.  And it is certainly bigger.  Inside I added three pockets -- a long narrow one to hold pen or pencil, a shorter wider one to hold keys, and a good sized one on the opposite side to hold other things.

I didn't have rhinestone pins for decoration.  But I did have a really nice ladybug button that I thought added a little something.  I'll be handing it over to her this coming week.

I hope she's pleased.