Little black bag

Although I survived the audition yesterday, one thing quickly became evident to me: I didn't have the right bag.  In my haste to ready all of my essentials, I grabbed a black bag from the attic that was not only too small to hold all that I needed, but also had a broken zipper.  Why did I still choose to bring this bag with me, knowing it wasn't really going to work?  I just don't know.  Life is complicated.  But after walking around for the day with a tiny, bulging, unfastened bag, I returned home this morning with a new project in mind. 

And here's my new bag!  

I made a basic black tote, with flap pockets on the front and back for extra loose papers and things.  I slapped a big bow on the front flap (every tote needs a little flair!)  I lined it with some fabric that was passed down to me by one of my lovely sisters over the holidays, when she was cleaning out her own fabric closet.  I sewed a couple of inner pockets: three for pencils, and one each for my wallet and phone.  Here is the inside:

For the straps, I used some trim I had in my stash, and I double-folded the edges in, so that they would look a little neater.  Here is a close shot of the strap:

I'm thrilled with my new bag, and I was able to make it completely from supplies I had sitting around!  What a rush!

I'm thinking my next project will be this adorable clutch.  As a Christmas gift this year, I received a kit with all of the supplies I will need to make the project from start to finish.  It should be a breeze...I'll let you know how it goes!