The Organic Tote

 

It's been a busy month around here, but I'm happy to share that I'm back sewing for Lina and Vi with a brand new tote bag to share today. Please welcome the Organic Tote to the Grounds family!

This bag is a medium-sized shoulder bag with a bonus large exterior pocket. Because this bag is mid-sized, it's light and perfect for carrying on all day adventures without the added weight of a heavy bag. As a quick sidebar, when I was in San Francisco, I carried a bag that I had purchased from a store several years ago. I didn't use my own handmade bags as I didn't have time to make a tote especially for the trip, and I wanted something that could be held both on the shoulder and cross-body, which this store bought bag was designed to do. It was easy and convenient to just grab it and move on with packing. I noticed that as days grew on, I had a sore shoulder and had to move the bag around to balance the weight on my body. The bag itself (without contents) was heavy, which didn't help, as it added to the weight of the travel documents, bus routes, and the camera I was carrying. So in sum, a light-weight bag is definitely a good idea, especially if you are traveling on foot most of your day.

Ok, back to the bag. The exterior has a large slip pocket to make it easy to access necessities like keys, cell phones, and toiletries without needing to open and dig through the entire contents of the bag (and keep digging and digging and digging....like I do). There is one smaller slip pocket on the inside, but overall the bag is a fairly simple design with the wide open space on the inside to carrying whatever needed.

The printed burlap used for this bag is a black text on one side of the bag featuring the USDA organic label and blue coffee bean graphic on the other. I did not mix and match these from different coffee burlap sacks - these designs were all on the same coffee sack. I love that you can flip the bag to one side and have one look and flip it to the other for a slightly different variation. Oh the options, just by carrying it in a certain direction!

The overall color scheme is neutral. The bottom exterior of the bag is a heavy weight (duck) tan cloth, and the interior is a two tone design with that same tan cloth and a cream and beige print. I think the interior is visually interesting, but it doesn't overdo it with a lot of colors and different prints.

This bag is truly a perfect, mid-sized tote bag for the everyday. It's neutral so it doesn't require a certain style or outfit. And (most importantly!) it keeps your items organized in a fun, unusual upcycled material.

The Organic tote is now available for purchase in our Etsy shop here! The listing contains more details on dimensions and features that described here, but always feel free to email, comment, or message me on Facebook/Etsy if you have any questions.

Enjoy your weekend!
Erica