I had to post these pictures, though, because I am so very tickled by this bag.
I got the pattern off of youcanmakethis.com. I avoided that site like the plague for a very long time because it is dangerous! Instant downloads = a lot of temptation. I gave in when Alice needed a name tag for her skunk. It was Animal day at Kindergarten and she was afraid that Esmeralda would 1. run away, 2. get lost, or 3. be skunk-napped. I downloaded a pattern for this luggage tag to make a last-minute name tag:
The duffel bag is by the same woman who came up with the luggage tag. The bag in the pictures is for Alice's Kindy teacher for an end of the year gift. It is HUGE. In the picture I stuffed it with 5 bath towels to make it stand up nicely. I could have easily fit another 2 or 3 inside. I LOVE this pattern and plan to make one for Alice and myself. Two friends have requested this bag as a birthday gift.
It has a zippered pocket on one side with gussets to make it e x p a n d a b l e.
The handles are made of jute webbing. Hobby Lobby carries this. Cherie suggests not washing the jute because it shrinks, bleeds and unravels. I wanted the bag to be washable, so I did wash the jute. I serged the ends, stuck it in a delicates bag and washed it on hot with some stuff that quilters use to set dye. Then I stuck it in the dryer. It did shrink A LOT. And it was horribly wrinkly, but some patience and a lot of steam with the iron took care of that. Ultimately I think the ability to machine wash the bag outweighs the shrinkage and extra time involved in prepping the jute.
Do you see the pocket between the straps on the side?
This is a great pattern. I would recommend having some experience sewing before you take this on, though. It's not terribly hard but it uses a lot of different skills. Here is the link to Studio Cherie's You Can Make This! page.
