Last year I made this bag for a conference trip to Chicago:

It was fabulous. The bag fit just about everything and is comfortable to carry. But it’s huge — I have to have little bags inside or it can take 20 minutes to find something. I love it, but it’s too big for everyday.

So, I made this bag:

but while working on it, I kept hearing the voice of my friend, who loves the first bag. It’s her favorite.

Then recently I read a woman who went to her neighbors house to show off a new project. When the neighbor told the first woman how much she liked it, the woman said “Great! Because I made one for you too.”

Why this didn’t occur to me sooner I don’t know, except that I’m probably that selfish. But this was inspiring, I want to be that woman! So I whipped up this bag for my friend:

Or maybe for me. The lining uses a sample tea towel with these great kids drawings:

Just too cute.

Our other best friend likes bags too, but she’s more the huge, sturdy leather type because she carries her life in her bag. I wanted to make her a bag too, but decided something more fun for a night out or such:

She loves purple and dragonflies, can you tell?

So here are our 3 best friend bags together, hanging out just like we do:

I’m so excited for my friends to come over. I cannot wait to say “Oh, you like? Good, because I made one for you too!”

If you like the pattern, head over to mmmcrafts. Very easy to follow. A few changes: I’m lazy, so the pockets go all the way across the width of the bag. And I put the outer pocket so it’s under the flap, instead of facing the body.