Have bag, will travel

Travel bag
Originally uploaded by Suzie Rozie.

I am so pleased with the basic bag pattern provided to me by a little $10 bag I bought on the McKinley Explorer on our Holland American land tour to Alaska last year (Anchorage to Prudhoe and back). There seems to be just endless possibilities to what I can do with it. I've made at least a dozen shopping bags and one big knitting backpack, all starting with this basic pattern, and now this one for my travels this spring.

Sometimes I can't believe what a kick I get out of making such simple little things. Some days, I find myself still sewing when Lauren gets home from work, and then continuing after supper. It was the case with this bag. Figuring it out as I went (the extra pockets, the top zipper closure, the additional strap down the middle so I can button it on the back), it took me two solid days to get it all together, and I found myself not wanting to put it down until I figured out, by trial and error, what all the steps should be.

Even the button and buttonhole on this bag were a challenge for me. Vowing not to make a trip to Joann's for buttons, I dug in my stash and picked a couple. I finally ended up with a big black thing with a shank on the back, and then I must have spent an hour or so figuring out just the right type and size of buttonhole for it.

The biggest challenge, though (and I'm not sure I overcame it), was the sleeve at the top with the zipper. I cut a piece of Make-A-Zipper that I thought would be about the right size (I'm no good at precise things, but I'm learning to be better with the quilting I'm learning to do), and then sewed an overlapping placket to the sides of it. The placket is an 8-inch wide piece of fabric, folded to make 4" and interfaced with some woven fabric. I played around with how to get that packet inside that opening, ripping, sewing, ripping ... it's finally there and it feels secure, but I'm sure there must be a better way than what I ended up with. I'll have to go shopping just to see how commercially made bags, similar to this, are made.

The whole thing provides mind-games for this aging brain of mine, and, according to AARP and other popular hype, that's a good thing! And overall, I'm really pleased with the usability and feel of the end product.

Traveling alone with two big wheelie suitcases means that I can't also take my faithful and durable carry-on wheelie case that has been my travel companion for many years. So having a bag that fits neatly and snugly over my shoulder, holding essentials such as food for the journey (that means food to eat, a book to read, a notepad for random thoughts, a little solitaire game to play, and whatever else seems to be something I can't bear to be without while traveling) seemed to be the answer. My wonderful red backback, then, is free to hold my quart bag of liquids, my cosmetics, my medicines, and my travel pillow. And one or both of these bags will have just enough room for me to stuff my sweatshirt and overshirt if I get too warm.

If you see a little old lady in an airport somewhere in the next few months, carrying a bright red backpack on her back and this nice green thing on her shoulder, hobbling along with a cane, that's me. Be sure to stop and say "Hi!"

I think I'm all set. I'm off to the Philippines in two days. Hip, hip, hooray. I'm so excited. I will miss Lauren, but how lovely to spend this precious time with my offspring and her offspring!

Here I come, guys!!! Get ready for Grandma!!!