Last week, I sent pictures of some of my earlier bags that were weaved. When my wife came in tonight with a bag full of groceries, I realized I had never taken a picture of the weaved bag I had given her to keep in her car for shopping. I gave it to her because it was my favorite. Though it is a bit dirty from a couple of years of use, I would like to share it with you.

When I first started making bags, I weaved them and had a lot of fun coming up with different designs. Most of these were given to family members as Christmas presents the first December after I started sewing bags.

The more bags I make, the more they get around. Here is one lost in the subway of Manhattan!

A nurse asked me for a black, square bag. It was not something I would have made for myself but she was very pleased. A clerk asked for a black one so I put a flower on it for her. Here they are.

I like them a lot but don’t make many black bags because the black straps are the rarest. I try to use them mostly for trip and contrasting colors.

I am kind of an organization freak. I took an old plastic letter box I found on the side of the road and sewed up a Bucket Buddy for my mountain biking stuff. Amazing what you can do with too much enthusiasm and too little organization.

After having made many bags, the OCD part of me wished I had kept count, but it was too late. When I look at pictures I have taken, it gives me some idea of a minimum count. I have pictures of about 200 individual bags. I have made many that never got their pictures taken. Look at these two collections of extra buckles that were take off straps I used on bags but were not needed for decorations. I have made quite a few bags.

I donate these buckles and unused straps to Resource Area for Teachers*. I have no idea what the teachers who buy stuff at RAFT do with my donations but they always disappear.

*http://www.raft.net/

Anything other than horizontal stripes provides some interesting construction challenges in creating bags. Here are some with vertical stripes that turned out pretty nice. And they look nice on the deck in our back yard.

I have made a couple of duffles, both by special order. One for my daughter, Hilary, which is pictured here. I made another for my friend, Rick, who lives in Reno. He keeps his falconry equipment in it and carries it with him when he flies his falcons.