Before I ever sewed clothes I sewed bags. And I’ve come back to them a bit recently. This bag in handwoven Irish linen is based on the free SpencerOgg video bag tutorial. It has a particularly clever way of putting in the zip that makes it very easy with no bulky bits to sew over.
https://www.spencerogg.com/sew-a-volunteer-pack/

I’d already made a waterproof version for my friend working in a school and some bits and pieces to into it. This is what the bag was intended for as a ‘volunteer pack’.

Then I remembered the linen I had left over from my Helen’s Closet Pona jacket and thought it would make a good bag.
https://helensclosetpatterns.com/product/pona-jacket/

Underneath I’m wearing the Cissy Dress in needlecord from Homer and Howell (see separate blog https://sheilaokelly.com/2020/08/27/homer-and-howells-cissy-dress/).

https://www.homerandhowells.com/shop-online/cissy
For this linen version, I changed the pattern to make it a bit bigger; turned it horizontally and added a lining. I also added iron-on fleece interfacing to the lining.
I learned techniques for bag making from the wonderful book the ‘Bag Making Bible’ by Lisa Lam. I didn’t really use her patterns but she goes into all the different techniques in detail and then you can apply them to any design.
And now my handbag matches my jacket! This is big enough to hold all my other bags for mask, makeup, medicines, and shopping tote!

The shopping bag I make over and over is free pattern for a lined ‘Market Bag’ from Stitch Upon a Time.
https://stitchuponatime.com/product/market-bag/
The lining makes this bag really strong. I have made about 20 of these including some sets of three or four as gifts. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher the first time, but easy after that and sooooo strong.
The lined zip pouches with the curved top are my own design and are basically half circles with a rectangular bit at the bottom. I often make them as gifts and put the person’s initial on the front.