Charlie Bag

I am a huge fan of reusable grocery bags. I use them all the time, and my Chico bag is always on my carabiner. How cool then to find a great sewing pattern to make something similar for free, no less!

open Charlie bag

Pattern: Charlie bag (download here with instructions here)
Fabric: random remnant upholstery fabric, navy stripes on white
Fabric Supplier: Fabric Corner

folded up Charlie bag

Modifications: I added an extra seam at the bottom of the bag for additional strength and hemmed the curved edges for the handles.

I really liked the look of this pattern. If I were to make this pattern again (which I probably will) I would make all of the curved edges with a turned hem from the start, which would give a neater appearance or do a full lining as mentioned in the last step of the instructions. (Note: obviously you would need more fabric.)

Also if I were to use a heavy weight fabric like this again, which I really like for strength, I would make the pouch a little longer, with (more importantly) a longer flap.