The Charlie Bag

I've been wanting to make this bag forever. The Charlie Bag is actually a Burdastyle free pattern, but a very well-written tutorial can be found here at A Mingled Yarn. Though this bag is technically designed to be a reusable grocery tote, I just love the shape of it and thought it would make a great oversized purse/school bag for our darling babysitter, Emma, who turns 18 TODAY!

I had this fabric leftover from some curtains I made a few years ago. My hubby, Chris, complained incessantly about the curtains being "too loud"- so I eventually gave them away and made new ones. But, I think this fabric is just so pretty... and very SPRING! Just what every girl needs on a rainy Seattle day.

I had this lovely bright blue fabric that I intended to use for the lining, but discovered that I didn't quite have enough. I thought about using denim, but decided to keep things light, so I used this medium-weight upholstery fabric. It is hard to see in the photo, but it has a shiny dot pattern. To be honest, the bright blue would have worked out better, but I think it turned out okay. I tried to brighten things up with some bias tape (yes, bias tape again!) across the top of the pockets - hmmm, jury's still out on the merits of that decision. But, I was very pleased with the functional pockets! Just look at those pen pockets!!

The pocket on the other side of the interior of the bag is a little bit smaller and has just two compartments.

The Charlie bag has a wide opening at the top and is definitely very roomy. I do plan to make this bag again (for myself this time!), but I think I'll make it a little bit smaller, and I will probably lengthen the handles a bit. Adding a magnetic snap or closure of some sort would also be good - oooh, and maybe an outside pocket!

Happy 18th Birthday, Emma! I hope you enjoy your Charlie Bag!