I found some lovely navy blue waxed canvas at Montavilla Sewing Center and just had to have it, even though I didn’t have a project in mind for it. Then I found the Cami tote/handbag from Georgia Girl Stitches and decided to try it. The pattern calls for lots of riveting and leather, but I substituted cork and webbing for the connectors and handles. This is an intermediate level pattern so it presented some challenges for me, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I used left over contrast and lining fabric from Michelle’s new handbag. I think it’s the perfect size for carrying lots of items but not quite as large as my square backpack. Since this is a crossbody, it’s easier to take things in and out of it than with the backpack.

Now that I’ve used the bag a few times, I have some clean up work to do. The side strap connectors are held on just by rivets, and I think they’ll be more secure if I also sew a few stitches along the sides. I might do the same to the handle connectors, although they don’t feel as risky. I left the zipper tail a bit too long so I believe I will trim that up and add a new end tab.