Travel Sewing Bag

2 years ago I started making this to take with me on my travels with the kids during the summer holiday as we went on our day trips to other towns and to visit museums (my kids LOVE museums... as long as they are the interesting kind and not just filled with modern art). What with one thing and another and me trying to make something super duper complicated (for a bag) and not knowing how to complete it, the bag ended up in the pile of UFOs.

I finally worked out how to make my neat edges with the flaps I wanted: add a zip at the join of the blue inner lining and the patchwork bag flap. That way I could turn it right sides out after sewing around the sites.

The bag closes by folding the top flap down and then folding in the side flaps. Then the front is lifted towards the back and the Velcro strips do the rest. The bag flap is closed with a thread wound around a button - a simple and quick way to keep it closed securely.

The flaps can be folded up and fixed in place with velcro strips on the front flap to create a corralled area to work in, say in a moving train or on a boat so that things don't fall to the ground and get lost. It also makes it easier to pick up the bag while open and move it from one place to another.

It has one pocket with a zip that is the same size as the bag itself. As the bag is fully lined on the patchwork side this will not result in the seam allowances getting ravelled.
It has 4 gusseted pockets in different colours sewn onto the lining, these pockets close with Velcro.
It has a removable scissors holder (the triangle thing)
It has a removable thread holder with inbuilt needle holder. (the cylinder thing)
It has a tiny biscornu pincushion.
The entire outer cover and the inside of the flap is hand sewn 2" patchwork hexagons
The strap is made out of 3" squares machine sewn together.
It's completely lined with a thick interfacing to add body and strength to the bag.

Stats:
Closed the bag is 10 1/2 inches wide and 8 inches high / 27 cm x 20 cm
Open it's 22 inches long and 8 inches wide / 56 cm x 20 cm
Fully opened out it's 25 1/2 inches long and 17 inches wide 65 cm x 43 cm

Other items from this bag can be seen here, though the key chains cannot be seen in the picture as I usually hang them on my normal key chain instead.: