yoga bag of Awesome

I don't mean to brag, BUT.... I made something Awesome.

There is a story behind it, naturally.

I decided to give yoga a try.  I am getting older and all, and figured it would be good to stretch my bones.  I opted for the popular Moksha Hot Yoga studio.  Any workout that has you in a sauna-like room in the dead of frosty winter and includes mat time to lie down and relax is A-okay with me!

Part of the whole yoga practice is to clear your mind.  Well, all through my first hour of class, all that was rattling around in there was: "Hey, don't I have a scrap of that Heather Ross munki munki yoga fabric somewhere?"  From there it was end of story.  As IF I could focus.  All I could do was design a yoga bag in my head. I NEEDED one.

So, the score goes something like this:

5 hours of yoga classes (to date)

15 hours of yoga bag making

Okay.  I might have a problem.  Fortunately, this problem often results in pretty things :)  And this groovy new bag ensures that I will be attending yoga classes for some time!

So about that bag.  Boy, did I have fun with the details of this.  I paired some Essex yarn dyed linen in black with the Heather Ross munki munki and an assortment of my favorite purple fabrics.  The outside of the bag features a zippered patchwork pocket on the front, just the perfect size for my keys, phone and money.  I hand-stamped the word "breathe" on one of the squares and added some hand stitching.

Above the pocket, I added a fussy cut of a you girl thinking of a martini :)

I also used accent fabrics for a side pocket, with a second fussy cut of a yoga girl thinking of pretty shoes.  Those girls make me smile!  The side pocket is pleated and has an elastic at the top to allow room for an extra large water bottle.

The front and back panels of the bag extend to cradle my mat, which is secured on top with an adjustable strap.

And if I don't need my mat, there is a hidden pocket in the lining that I can retract the strap into!  I am crushing on the funky black and purple zippers I found for 70% off (!!) at my local Fabricland.

For the straps I used some natural webbing, with an accent strip of Essex down the centre.  The perfect length for slinging over the shoulder.  On the back of the bag, I included a horizontal strap perfect for slipping over the handle of a rolling suitcase, as I think this bag would make the perfect sized travel carry on!

Inside, I lined the majority of the bag with a washable waterproof fabric, perfect for those damp towels!  There is a large dry pocket as well, lined with some Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley, that includes a second zippered pocket.  The interior of this bag has plenty of space for my workout clothes, a shower towel, a large mat towel, a bag of toiletries, shower flip flops and sneakers.  Yup, she's big!

So that is the story of my new shiny yoga bag.  And I am so proud of her, I decided to enter her in a couple competitions :)