First Steps

The first bag I made in early 2016

This past winter, someone close to me shared that she had been harassed in a fast-food location, over a bag she was carrying.

She had fallen on hard times, and was carrying an open, square shaped, recycled material supermarket bag. The fast-food location had decided that the bag she was carrying made her look like she was homeless, and they didn't want any homeless folks in their location, which is an issue all it's own.

With her birthday fast approaching, I thought I could help remedy this issue by finding a pattern, and making a bag like no one else owned. Something I hoped would stand out as special and beautiful. I found inspiration, and an idea was born. I made the bag pictured above, and gave it to her, and she hasn't been harassed about her bag again. Of course, she's never returned to that fast-food location either. None of us has.

The bag was such a hit, that I made several for family members and friends. Then I decided that if it was so well liked among my circle, I should see if I could make and sell them. So, over the summer and fall, I have made several bags, and not just the big carry-on/weekender style. I have made several different types, and this fall, I put them up on Etsy and created a Facebook page, to see if they would sell.

What you can't tell, is this bag is approximately 21" wide, and 16" high. It's a quilted fabric, for strength, and has an inset zipper. The carrying straps sit next to a pocket on each side of the bag, just over 8" wide and about 11" deep, also of quilted material. It has a gusset of about 10". So, it will hold several days of clothes changes, and more. The pockets on the outside are big enough to hold devices, as well other items that might be needed to access quickly.