bicycle tote

bicycle tote - zipper detail

Sitting in the kitchen watching my grapefruits simmer (1 hour, 37 minutes to go…) gives me the perfect opportunity to blog about my latest completed project: the bicycle tote.

This fabric was unearthed from the Joann’s value area last year, and I could hardly believe my luck. Quality tapestry fabric, at an incredibly low price, with bikes on it. Oh man. I do love bikes.

Besides my dream of upholstering a giant puffy chair or some other task that I would never finish (or even start), this fabric seemed perfect for my next book tote. Library books, folders for school, big envelopes for the post office, always need a good tote to go in and my previous model was starting to look less than classy. I lined it in a happy floral print fabric because I wanted to brighten it up, and the flowers on the inside resemble the flowers in the bike basket!

So here it is, in all its pocketful, bike-covered glory.

bicycle tote

bicycle tote: lining & inner pockets

It’s got four slide in pockets for phone/ipod, pens and pencils, checkbook, etc. These make it so easy to find the important stuff.

bicycle tote: lining & inner pockets

On the other side there’s a tiny pocket that closes with a 5-inch zipper; perfect for my keys! Business cards fit well, too.

bicycle tote: outer zipper pocket detail

And here is a shot of the outer zipper (7″) opened… the lining is the same as the inside lining except with a larger print.

I love pockets. Sometimes I don’t want to put them in, because it’s extra effort, but it’s so worth it. And the tapestry fabric holds its shape so well. I’m just so happy with how this bag turned out!