Double wine bag, ready to go!

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A year ago (August 2018) I made a rep rug for the studio. It was my first rep weaving and I loved making it! When the rug was the right length, I found that I had about a foot of extra warp left... I changed the big weft from 4 strands of mop cotton to one strand of mop cotton and came up with a much finer fabric.  I made the fabric into a bag, then padded it with leftover rug padding, then it languished on a shelf while waiting for a strap.

Last month, Gudrun helped me get my Anglo Saxon band weaving going again! I'm getting better at unweaving when I make mistakes but still have issues making things work the first time. I had a few fits and starts but finally finished the band last week. The Anglo Saxon method, where you turn every other card every other pick, results in a very dense band that is the same on front and back, just offset by a half motif... Perfect for a bag strap.

Ready for two bottles of wine!

Today I lined the bag with fabric from my quilt stash and now I just need someplace to go with two bottles of wine! I need to pickup my wine club allotment at K&L, that might be it's inaugural journey.

What did I learn? Don't get me wrong, I love the bag. But in the interest of doing better next time:

• I didn't line up the sides carefully so the pattern matches better on one side than the other.
• I eyeballed the bottom so the triangular ears I sewed to make it squarish are not symmetrical.
• The above two points indicate that I need to slow down and measure more. 
• I tacked down the insert divider before attaching the straps which made it hard to attach the straps with the sewing machine.
• I didn't make the warp for the band long enough for two straps; I would have liked to have put one on each side.  Having said that, I think it's sturdy enough for two bottles anyways.  Ideally, I could have looped the strap all the way down around the bottom.
• I didn't finish the bag seams nicely so it's a little messy between the top of the bag and the lining. 
• I measured each section and added an inch for seams plus and for wiggle room on each lining insert; this apparently was the wrong measurement. I could have used another inch, though I made it work.