Onebyone

I made a bag years ago out of fabric that I didn't really like, it is flimsy and the handles are all wrong but it seems to be my go to tote. It's soft, big, no hassle of fasteners, and I have no fear of getting it dirty or tossing it around. LOL If I had made it perfect it probably wouldn't be used as much.

dakotamaid

Love all the suggestions you've gotten. How about saving this bag for another purpose and making a new computer bag with all the awesome ideas?

Tink's Mom

You can still fix this bag without much taking apart. Take off the handles, and either open up the top seam or cut it right at the stitching and it will make the bag a tiny bit shallower.
Insert a piece of Pellon 65 Stabilizer or TimTex or whatever is the stiffness you like. Restitch the top seam. Position the handles with only about a 9" gap between them. Velcro needs only to be stitched on the edges. You could use 2 pieces of about 3" and it would hold it closed just fine.
Hope that all of our suggestions will help....it is a lovely bag.

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Buckeye, one by one, Dakota and Tink's mom. You all have given me some great ideas. I love how this particular fabric looks in the end and I don't have enough to make a 2nd bag, so I am going to continue modifying it. I doubt I will use it much anyway, it was kind of a whim to make it. I'll keep all your ideas for future bags, definitely!!

I've taken the handles off already, then I had to leave the house. Soon I will pin the handles in various spots as suggested to find that sweet spot. I did not find ribbon to make the ties (I have everything but!!) but I did find a nice lace that I'm going to use.

If it comes out halfway decent, and not a total embarrassment to me, I'll post pics when I'm done. Fingers crossed.

KenmoreGal2

Success!!! The picture below is me holding the bag, it's actually not resting on the sofa but being held by the handles. It's flat enough for me! I had the lace pieces all ironed and cut but when I finished putting the handles back in a new spot, it was fine. I figured, I'd better not mess with success and play around with the lace!

Thanks for all your help.

Paper Princess, I hope you notice that I took your advice and totally reinforced those handles! I made them attached by 2", did the square stitching and the X stitching too. Then I zig zagged the bottom of each handle a zillion times. They aren't going anywhere!

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mckwilter

Great job on the bag. For future reference, Soft and Stable by By Annie is great for bags. I used it when I made a tote on both the outside and on the inner pocket for a tablet. I also cut strips of it and put them inside my handles instead of batting. It made it a lot easier to carry on my shoulder. If you decide to add a closure to your bag, my suggestion is to get some heavy duty snaps, then sew on buttons to hide the snaps.

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PaperPrincess

Very nice!!!

KenmoreGal2

Thanks for the suggestion mcwilter. Wow, your bag is 100% nicer than mine!! That's ok, I'm happy with mine anyway.

Thanks for the nice words Princess.

NJ Quilter

Great job on the bag! Glad you got your handle issues worked out and are happy with the outcome. Such a wealth of knowledge here.

mckwilter

Thank you for the compliments. I chose this tote pattern to use as a purse, but love the inner pocket to carry my iPad. I never seem to have enough pockets, and this one was almost perfect, after I added another outside and another inside pocket. I love the Soft & Stable. It is lightweight, but strong enough that the sides of the bag don't collapse when I put it down.