The Beach Huts Bag

I think I figured that this bag might possess magical properties.  I thought when it was finished, the rain would stop and summer would finally stop being so shy.

 I think maybe I was wrong.

However, I do love the bag and it helps me remember that we're in July and not November, even if the weather hasn't quite worked it out yet.

It fits quite a lot of parcels in.  The parcel at the top of the photo has a square 14" (35 cm) canvas inside it, so it's quite roomy.

I might make a second bag for overflow and smaller parcels.  I should have planned this better, as I used up all the leftover fabric to make cushions.  I got a blue check cushion and a red stripe cushion from the bag fabric and the beach huts cushion was made from scraps from this project and others.

I also made a keyring (although I think it needs a run through a washing machine to fray the edges and shabby the whole thing up a little!)

Back to the bag...

I made plenty of internal pockets.  This may be the last time they're ever empty.

And there's a big external pocket too

which will work well for stuffing magazines in for flicking through on the beach on days off (well, a girl can dream can't she?) as I think this would make an excellent beach bag.  In fact, it would make a better beach bag than a taking-parcels-to-the-post-office-and-shopping-afterwards bag, which is what I made it for.

I used a Tesco bag as my size template, although I wish I'd made the handles slightly longer for over-the-shoulder wearing (much better for beach bags, I think).

I do like the slouchiness of the bag - it's two layers of cotton, so has a very nice feel.

Look at the depth of the bag - lots of room.

I like those buttons on the strap!  I was a bit worried about whether this stap would work - ideally, I would've picked cotton webbing but there was only acrylic webbing available.  I needn't have worried, it has a nice soft feel to it and makes an excellent substitute (not harsh to the touch like some synthetic webbings).

I like the beach huts on the front and the red stripe was just perfect for this project. 

The fabrics for this bag were kindly supplied by Abakhan as part of their £15 budget challenge.  I think I did rather well out of my £15 this month: a bag, three cushions and my little keyring.  Do pop over to Abakhan - you may be surprised at just how far your money can go.

Yes, there are still a few scraps left.  They may make a surprise appearance again somewhere soon.

P.S.  Sorry, I know I promised to post this on Tuesday and today is Wednesday.  There's not really any excuse, except Tuesday turned into one of those days when time disappears far too quickly and important stuff pops up needing to be done.  But there was also some excellent news, which I will share once I know more!