A New Computer Bag

I carry a very ugly (but free) computer bag. My husband picked it up at one of his IFMA Trade Shows. It's been a good bag...FREE, but it is black and has advertising on the side. It's also a tight fit for my 17" laptop.

I started thinking about sewing a new one almost a year ago, knowing that to purchase one to fit my laptop was going to cost me a pretty penny. I mentally put it at the bottom of my "To Do" List thinking I would have to find the "perfect" piece of material, which could take months!

I had no preconceived notion of what it should look like, but having a room full of fabric never means you have the "perfect" piece for a specific project. (My girlfriend's husband is a fabric rep...need I say more?) However, that perfect piece was found waiting for me at a garage sale! The fabric was on a roll and I saw it from the road as we drove slowly past the sale. The woman had purchased the bolt for a specific project (which she did not complete). After some 'haggling' I got the whole bolt (probably 6 yards) for $5.00. What a steal!

The fabric is green ultra suede. My poor little machine struggles to sew through all the layers. So far I have the pieces cut, the foam inserted, and am working on installing the zippers and my outside pocket design.

I'm thinking I will need to sew a binding around the serged edges to reinforce the bag. I still have the handles to attach and finish decorating the "lace", but all in all I'm pleased with the progress. Hopefully I can finish tonight and post the completed bag by tomorrow.