The Tagalong Bag

We're moving, for real this time. That might explain my absence as I've been trying to filter out all the things I don't want to have to go through when we arrive in Maryland. That's right. East Coast here we come. Nearly the farthest place from California, but hey, not as far as Germany!

Onto the sewing already, eh? I finished this project in May but have been post processing other pictures and videos from a year ago! Does it surprise you that I'm that far behind? Well you don't know me well enough if it does.

I've had the idea for this bag mulling for about a year. At the mall in Sindelfingen I saw a simple tote bag with a handle on the side and a symbol of a woman and a child walking together above it. Not sure how practical the handle really is, but hey it's cute.

I started this bag with no intention of making it into the "toddler toting" carry-all, but rather just as a way to use my lovely Sherbet Pips charm pack. I had the front and back sewn together and pinned up on my wall for two weeks before it dawned on me that it is perfect for this Tagalong bag!

Most of the time I like a cross body bag, but wanted the option to make it a shorter shoulder bag...

My solution was to add extra snaps to one side. Undo the snaps at the opposite end, slide through the shoulder pad et viola, a shorter strap!

I took the easy way out with the strap and used a nylon belt (is that what it's called?) but it's not the nicest feeling against your neck with any weight at all in the bag, so I whipped up a quicky shoulder pad with non-slip backing so it always stays in place. Neato!

The kid handle (cue mother: "hold my handle") was an easy addition after I quilted the front side. I lined the bag with a grey canvas for extra durability AND included a net bottle pocket. I know, genius, right? It looks really small because of the angle, but it fits the large Camel Back bottle. Here's the inside before I sewed the bag together with a much better scale for the bottle pocket. The net is from an old laundry bag, good thing I never throw anything out, ha! I did take enough photos for a simple tutorial, but I'd like to try a second one to work out the quirks. For instance, I meant for there to be a zipper on top... the zipper piece didn't work as planed, nor did the strap. But first try was good enough to give to the one friend I cannot believe I have to leave behind here in Germany. I will miss you Marion. Thanks for being you!