Go Anywhere Bag

Have you ever had a project that just went wrong from the start? That’s how this bag went for me. And it’s nothing to do with the pattern itself; like all of Noodlehead’s patterns, Go Anywhere is very well written. I apparently just had a hex on me.

I swear I spend more time ripping seams and redoing things than I did cutting pieces and sewing it the first time. I totally fubar’d the straps (and wound up replacing my cloth ones with cotton webbing because I ran out of fabric), my side seams didn’t line up, my snap almost went in badly, and more. Technically the bag is 100% cotton but believe me when I say that this thing is made up mostly of stubbornness. I actually set the bag aside for months because looking at it made me so upset.

I’m glad I persevered and eventually fixed everything though, because my finished bag looks great! Save for the fact that it’s a little wrinkly.. a side effect of all the futzing around I did.

I used Cotton + Steel fabric, and while that yellowy-green isn’t my color at all, it spoke to me and I had to have it. The flowers (or are they fireworks?) pull it all together and keep it in tones that are my up to my speed, but I really love the little X’s.

The big divided pockets on the front are a great place to stash my phone and my sunglasses. They’re easy to get to but the pockets are deep enough that they won’t just fall out (which is a problem I’ve had before with some other bags).

The giant pocket on the back has a magnetic snap on it. I’m not really sure what to use that pocket for since I don’t carry much around, but I’m sure it’s super handy for something!

I lined the bag with a simple natural color because the outside was loud enough for the entire bag, and I didn’t want to get overwhelmed. There’s a giant patch pocket in there that my keys usually winds up in.

In retrospect I wonder if I should have made the outside neutral and flowers, and used the X’s inside, or spread the patterns out another way. What do you think?