tote bag birthday gift

My best friend had a birthday recently and she asked me to make her a tote bag. As the busy mom of two little boys she needed a bag that was stylish but big enough to hold everything that she carries around on a daily basis.

Here she is modeling the new bag. The only change I made to the tutorial was to give her extra long handles to suit her 'tall drink of water' frame. 

For her birthday I got her a gift card to a fabric store and so chose the fabric and had it sent to my house. I think this is a really good idea if you are planning to make something special for a friend. It was great for her to be able to choose the pattern and style that she wanted. Ironically she choose a fabric that is the same pattern I have on my outdoor furniture but in a different color. There are many reasons we are best friends, which now includes the fact that we have the same taste in fabric. 

We found this bag tutorial on Delia Creates. It is very simple and the pockets are perfect for a mom that carries a phone, keys, bottles, diapers, snacks and the kitchen sink. The fabric she choose has such a great bold pattern that works really well on the bag. 

The only shame is that her birthday was in March and she didn't get the bag until now! Oh, well!

I'm sharing this bag on some fun link parties. Check them out here.