It's a BookBag! Recycled Tote Bag Project

Hooray! I have finished the recycled tote bag and although it didn't turn out exactly as planned (anyone who has made a cloth clamshell knows what I'm talking about), it still closes. It's still functional. Just not perfect. I'm actually looking forward to making a few more of these, but I'd probably use cloth for the bag instead of bookcloth scraps (they ARE really strong though). Maybe I'll even get around to posting them on Etsy. Ooh, I just bought new stamps too so I could put an owl emblem on them. :)

I call it the "Bookbag". This is a photo of the front of the book when the bag is folded up inside and it's tied shut. As mentioned, I used bookcloth scraps for the bag part and cotton tie scraps for the sides. When the bag is opened, the ties can be knotted straight along the bottom so they don't catch on anything or dangle. The base of the bag is a used hardback case of a book (intended for the trash since the book got a nice new hardback case). On the interior, I retained the original endsheets which have colorful maps. When you look inside the bag, you can still see them!

When opened up, the bag is fairly strong and can hold some larger items. I fit a few puzzles and small traveling games inside. I think it would be good for heavy fruits and vegetables as well. I've included a picture of the bag opened up, as well as another of the back side of the book when it's closed. I made sure not to decorate it with details that pop out too much. I wouldn't want them to catch on anything and rip off. This was a fun little project and I'm excited to look at the other ones and vote! If you'd like to vote, they'll be setting up the poll sometime tomorrow here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=439.0.