brown bagging it

I try to bring a lunch to work most days. My office is in SoHo and every deli and restaurant around us has become so expensive in the 12 years I've worked here. Seriously, the cheapest lunch I get is $8. Usually, I bring a frozen entree, a can of soda, and two pieces of fruit. Usually, I just use a plastic shopping bag and stuff it into my work bag. However, since I got a big orange purse for Christmas, that holds my necessaries including a small knitting project and my camera, I've not been carrying a larger tote to work and have had to carry my lunch separately. Nothing's so classy as carrying a plastic grocery store bag with your purse! I did use some plain gift bags, but they fall apart quickly. I had thought of buying some vinyl but nothing struck my fancy; then I saw that some stores carry laminated cottons in cool prints. Sign me up for that. A Michael Miller Daisy print came to live with me in March. Last night, it became this.

It's a little big for most days, but I could carry my knitting project in it if I wanted to carry a smaller purse. Hubby thought the fabric looked like wallpaper, because it's laminated. He thought the finished project looked really cute.

I had planned to do handles from the same fabric, but screwed up the first attempt and then realized that some lightweight webbing I had matched really well. (The webbing was used to tie up a comforter I bought at Target a while ago, no plastic bag there.)

I have some left, maybe enough to do a more tradional sized lunch bag, to carry in a larger tote if I ever go back to that.

I've got the sewing bug! I really, really want to make a double-bottle wine bag tonight. I'm a little conflicted though. I think Hubby feels lonely when I'm crafting in the office and he's in the tv room all alone. But, he does get me to himself all weekend, since we're going dow the shore for our anniversary.