I somehow got lucky enough to test another Noodlehead bag pattern!

This is Anna’s new Sidekick Tote – she’ll be releasing the pattern sometime this week, so stay tuned! I love Anna’s blog, and she’s the queen of fabulously written and designed bag patterns. I’ve been carrying my Go Anywhere bag for over a year now and it’s starting to look a little worse for wear – emptying out the cracker crumbs might be helpful, but making myself a new bag seemed like way more fun.

And it seems I can’t stop making gray bags. This is the third bag I’ve made for myself, and they’ve all been the same color. I think it’s because I know how dirty it’s going to get, so a dark color seems safest. And I do love gray. One fun thing about Anna’s patterns is that there’s so much room to play around with coordinating fabrics.

I picked a basic main fabric (Essex yarn dyed linen in black – neutral but with a great texture), then added two fabrics from the Cloud 9’s Simpatico line, and a tiny gray chevron print called “Sally’s Skirt” from Moda’s Reunion Collection. All purchased at my lovely local fabric shop, Cool Cottons.
Linings, pockets, pocket linings, two-sided straps…the hardest part was deciding which fabric should go where.

I love how the strap can be made from two different fabrics. And yes, I coordinated my shirt to match the bag for these photos, but truth be told, I have two shirts that fit me right now, so it wasn’t that difficult a choice 🙂

This bag is secure – an adjustable strap means you can wear it across your chest, so no slipping off your shoulder.

It zips shut, so nothing’s falling out.

Even the front pocket is secure.

And let’s get back to that recessed zipper (fancy, right?). This is my first time making a bag with a zipper, and I really prefer this closure method for keeping things put. And I love how the zipper is hidden in the bag – it’s genius. Fun to be able to choose another hidden fabric for that part of the lining, too. Plus, look at that cute little zipper-end-cover-thingy.

Wish I could’ve found a local source for the cool rectangular strap adjusters Anna used on her bag – she gives you info about ordering online, but I was too excited about making this thing to wait for them to ship! So I ended up with D-rings instead.

There’s another front pocket option that you can check out in Anna’s sneak peak post – it’s pleated and finished with bias tape and I’ll definitely be trying that one next time. The bag comes in two size options, and I went with the larger – with another baby on the way I figure my days of toting around a bunch of stuff are still plentiful. But I’m already scheming about fabric options for a smaller sized bag for when the time comes…

Thanks to Anna for letting me test this great pattern!
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