Tote That . . . Bag?

I have a darling red and white tote bag that was a "thank you" gift from a charity - the one with a black & white panda logo.  This bag was the perfect size for a lunch tote and I have used it for lo these many years.  I was so sad to see it wearing out that I contacted the organization to see if any more were available.  Alas, they have discontinued this long time favorite and I cannot get another.

So I decided to make one of my own, using the measurements from the existing bag.  I decided to make it a little more generous in size.  Unfortunately I am not a good judge of how much is enough and my tote came out too big for what I had in mind.  It came out beautifully and I was very happy with it - but it was too big and the handles too wide.  I decided to make another.

Again, adding what I thought was just a little in length and width, the new version came out a little too big as well.  I used more generous seams and hems to shave off a bit more and decided it was close enough.  It's still a very nice bag.  It will hold as much as my previous lunch tote and a bit more - say if I have to bring a large bag of potato chips or a 2 liter bottle of soda to keep in the fridge at work - the sandwich and cole slaw won't get displaced and there is room for everybody.  I call it a good days work - or couple days since that's about how long it took to finish in my spare time.

Everybody into the pool!

Quotable Quotes in the category They Should Put This On A T-Shirt!

"My other bags are Prada . . ."  As seen on a commercial tote bag online.