I bought these handles a while ago when they went on sale at the craft store. I wasn't sure what to do with them, and in the middle of the night, it came to me...

This is how it started. I started sketching a wide bag with bamboo handles, that also used up some Tracey Porter fabric I had.

bamboo bag

After I finished the design, I sketched it out on butcher paper and picked some fabric and lining.

Then I pinned and cut the pattern onto the fabrics...

Pinning right sides together, I sewed around the edges of each one. Last minute I decided to go with a Jordy Bag* bottom to give the bag a little more 'oomph'. So I notched out the corners on both sides.

If you don't know what a Jordy Bag is, go look it up on craftster.

After sewing, pin the lining inside of the outer fabric, right sides facing, and sew the edges, leaving a turn out area, of course.

Here is where you start praying.

Turn the bag inside out and hopefully, if all is well, it will be perfect. This is where I pin again and do another edge stitch over the top, not only to hide the open seam, but to make it look like more finished.

Now, this bag is a birthday gift for a friend. I could have been a jerk and just sewed the damn handles onto the fabric. That would have made life way easy.

But no, I know what it's like to have to clean things, so it's much better to use strong velcro to hold the handles on, that way they can easily be removed for washing. See, I am nice sometimes.

The finished bag. Not bad, it only took an hour, maybe I'll make another one.