My Little Thang About Bags

Been wondering what I mean when I say I have a weakness for bags? Maybe you’ve got a weakness of your own and would like to see my collection one by one? Or maybe you just like shaking your head and going, “She really DOES have a problem, bless her heart.”
First, what I keep in my bag:
~~wallet. A man’s leather bi-fold, so that if I’m wearing jeans and doing something energetic, I can carry it in my back pocket. I used to do that a lot more than I do now, but still:  you gotta be prepared.
~~little camera
~~iPhone
~~FlipVideo camera
~~business cards
~~Moo cards
~~little cheap scissors
~~little bag of stitching
~~cheap cheater eyeglasses
~~hand wipes
~~tons of Kleenex, some loose, some in packets—you have to be able to grab one immediately in case of a sneeze
I used to always carry the journal, but—omigod!—the iPhone seems to be taking over many of its functions. More on that in another post, I think--
Also there’s usually a cheap fan (I buy them 3 for $5 in the French Market in New Orleans and use them constantly at the concerts there), one of my dad’s pocket knives that I sharpened and can use if I lose the scissors, various lipsticks that I play with when The EGE isn’t around (he loathes lipstick in every form), a few small rocks or shells or whatever I’ve found lately (very small! not heavy!). And then whatever crap I’m having to haul with me:  paperwork, coupons, pens, books, glasses, keys—all that kind of stuff. I try to keep this last to a minimum:  hardly ever carry a book any more, try to leave the keys in the truck, etc. I never carry any make-up in my bag, except the lipstick, which is more a toy than make-up, as I have no clue and just like it for the color.
So let’s begin with the oldest of my bags, which is a backpack. I had a groovy cool backpack in graduate school, but when Wendy got her journal backpack stolen, I sent her mine and got this one. Or maybe I already had this one. Anyway, I like this one way better—it’s softer and funkier.

The Good:  it’s roomy, has a lot of zippered pockets, has aged really nicely:  all funky and spottled.
The Bad: backpacks are impractical for me because it’s so hard to get into them if you need your wallet or if the phone rings. You have to swing it around off your shoulder, which is a really bad thing if you’re in a crowded booth at the quilt show, for instance.
Then there are the two Ameribag Healthy Back bags:

The leather one.

The green microfiber one, slightly smaller.
The Good:  also lots of fabulous zippered pockets, perfect for all my stuff. Easy to find things in the pockets, which are designed really well.
The Bad:  same thing:  you have to swing it around to get into it or answer the phone. Plus they didn’t really feel any better on my back. Plus they don’t feel like A Bag. Bummer.
The belly bag. This is the one I use when I’m going to be somewhere all day and doing stuff with my hands and I need something that’s totally hands-free and stays out of the way. Like at the quilt show.

The Good:  easy on the neck and shoulders, stays out of the way, hands free. Big enough to hold my Moleskine sketchbook (which is why I bought it).
The Bad:  ugly as hell, impossible to wear while driving (it’s very large), not Baglike Enough for someone who has A Bag Thang.
The smalls:
Tiny leather camera case on a long neck strap.
The Good:  very small, very handy, cool color.
The Bad:  no padding, no room for anything BUT the camera, meaning I have to carry something else.
Padded wool case, perfect fit for the iPhone.

The Good:  colorful (I needle felted it), well-padded, neck strap, very light.
The Bad:  itchy as hell (I should have remembered that wool drives me NUTS), not big enough for anything else but the phone. I use it when I’m going for a walk and expecting a phone call from, say, the vet. (Usually I don’t take the phone for walks. Truth? I forget the iPhone just like I’ve always forgotten the others. They stay at home most of the time.)
Tiny leather phone bag from New Orleans, bought just for the iPhone before I made a case for it.

The Good:  very light, perfect fit for the phone, extra little pocket for money or a credit card. It was cheap.
The Bad: no padding, just thin leather. Not big enough for a camera or anything except the phone.
Then we have the non-leather bags.
Sarah’s bag:

I traded with Sarah for this one. Mine was too big and had a flap, like a messenger bag, which I hate. This one was khaki, with leather trim, and I dyed it.
The Good:  again, lots of fabulous pockets. I love the leather trim, and I like having a bag that belonged to a friend.
The Bad:  hard to get into and very dark inside so it’s hard for me to find stuff.
This is a bag I got in New Orleans last year.

The Good:  the colors and the sparkliness and the bells I sewed around the bottom. It’s lightweight and easy to carry.
The Bad:  no protected pockets for stuff like a wallet or phone, plus the bells are scratchy against my leg when I walk—the strap is very long.
Woven bag, also from New Orleans.

The Good:  also light and colorful, can pretend to be dressy if needed.
The Bad:  black lining, making it hard to find stuff, and, again, no padded/protected/zippered pockets.
Smaller version of the woven bag that I got in Lubbock when we were up there all the time setting my mother’s stuff.

The Good:  small, colorful (I sewed on some big beads), lightweight, perfect for the phone and some small stitching. Can look dressy in a pinch.
The Bad:  dark inside, not much padding, won’t hold the wallet.
Then we have this, an orange leather bag/laptop carrier that I fell in love with.



It’s got a padded compartment for a laptop (although my 17” wouldn’t fit, the Apple should fit just fine). It had another compartment, but it was tacky (I don’t remember why) or irritated me or something, and I cut it out with an X-acto knife when I bought it.
The Good:  the color! Some pockets, the padded area, very sturdy. Will stand up on its own.
The Bad:  very stiff, needs more pockets, easy to overload so it’s WAY heavy.
Then we get to The New Orleans Bags. There’s a leather shop, Leather Creations, on Decatur. Every year, for the past I-don’t-know-how-many years, I’ve bought a bag here.
This is the first one:

The Good:  I love this bag. I love the tooling, the way it’s aged, the size. I love how it’s gotten all soft and spottled.
The Bad: It has no zippered pockets inside at all. The top zipper is a pain to use, so I never do, and everything spills out into the floor. There’s no place to keep the wallet or the phone secure. It’s more like a small tote than a functional bag, but, as you can see, it’s gotten a LOT of use.
This is the bag I got last year.

The Good:  big, soft, will carry almost anything. Some outside pockets.
The Bad: heavy, cumbersome. No protected zippered pockets inside, and the ones outside are hard to access. Not good for a wallet or phone. I use this one mainly for maps and stuff when we travel.
Then there’s this one, which to the untrained, non-bag-loving person, looks just like the one above. Au contraire!

The Good:  this one has zippered pockets and is slightly sturdier, so it will sit up on its own—always a nice thing in a bag. It’s got a great hippie vibe going on, and it’s one of my favorites (just got it this year and so am still getting acquainted with it). Got a deal on it, as it was in the window and already faded and funky, plus with a tiny, tiny hole in the lining. Like I said, I don’t mind asking for a better rate for things like this.
The Bad:  easy to overload, in which case it’s REALLY heavy. Kind of cumbersome to carry in small spaces. Heavy, which is not helped by the hardware (which I may remove at some point).
A smaller, tidier bag.

The Good:  small, sturdy, several pockets. Good training for me, as it won’t hold a whole lot.
The Bad:  it won’t hold a whole lot. The strap is wonky—very long, and the piece holding it in place slides, meaning that the end of the strap flaps around a lot. I may cut it off. Still really stiff—it needs to loosen up. Got a great deal on it when I bought another bag, plus the lining needs to be re-stitched.
The bag The EGE is breaking in for me.

The Good:  funky, cool, easy to carry—it fits your body perfectly.
The Bad:  way, way too stiff. Plus that little pocket up there? Just the tiniest bit too small for the iPhone, but perfect for a business card holder. I’m getting the EGE to carry it (it’s a men’s some-kind-of-bag) to soften it up and get it broken in, and then I’ll re-claim it.
A smaller, softer version:

The Good:  soft, lots of great zippered and padded pockets.
The Bad:  kind of ugly, plus you can’t put very much in the pockets or it swells to become a bloated, misshapen thing that really doesn’t work.
Then The Birthday Bags:
An orange-ish woven bag:

The Good:  colorful, lightweight, a zippered pocket. Very cheap—like 80% off, I think.
The Bad:  no padding, and it’s Not Leather. (sigh.)
A Fossil bag:

The Good:  a veritable TON of pockets, all neat and tidy and easy to organize. One outside section zips around 3 sides to open up for access to credit card slots, zippered pockets, etc. Very small—one of the smallest of the regular bags.
The Bad: kind of ugly, plus it won’t hold a lot. Which is actually probably The Good. It can pinch hit for the belly bag at shows and stuff.
Ditto this little fuchsia leather bag:

The Good:  very small and tidy with lots of zippered pockets and organizing compartments. Cool color.
The Bad:  I don’t know if it will even hold the phone AND the camera AND the wallet. It’ll be a tight fit, if so.
Then the three totes:
The reddish one:

The brown one:

The Good:  these are the same bag but in different colors. Duh. They’re lightweight, easy to carry, very simple. Zippered pocket inside. Sturdy handles.
The Bad:  not enough pockets. But that’s OK—these are light, quick, easy.
This is one of my favorites: 

The Good: it weights practically nothing. Very, very light and soft and supple. You could roll it up and put it in your pocket. Zippered pocket.
The Bad:  needs more pockets for organizing things.
My current favorite, the orange bag:



The Good:  all kinds of zippered pockets. Nice silky lining (even if it’s funky looking, it feels fabulous). Nice size, fabulous color, easy to carry.
The Bad: that ugly striped lining. The leather handles squeak every time you move them, like cheap shoes. So it’s noisy. But that’s OK:  like I said, this is my current favorite.
Whew. That’s it! I’ve shown you mine; now you show me yours! I’d love to take a look—give us a link! (Man bags count, too~~)