Raincoat turned document bag

I had promised RG that I'll sew him a document bag awhile ago.......and it had been long overdue! Feeling really bad about the fact that he had to remind me. about it....I spent the last couple of days trying to get it done. It took much longer than I expected due to some "technical difficulties" :P But it's finally finished.

I wanted to use a water-resistant fabric for the bag due to the very snowy/rainy weather in New England.....which I didn't have of course. So I decided to "sacrifice" my USD4 raincoat that I had bought from Sears during a sale which I hadn't been wearing 'cos it didn't have a hood.

And here's what is left of the raincoat........haha. I had used most of the fabric including the raincoat lining. The sleeves were used to make the bag straps.

Well.....here's the final product! *phew* It sure was hell trying to sew through layers of the raincoat fabric+lining. The raincoat fabric (whatever it is!!??) was slippery and tricky to handle. I also had some trouble with the bag closure. There was a lot of sewing, ripping & resewing. The reclaimed raincoat fabric had stitch holes in some parts after I had unpicked it apart.....so I used a grey suit fabric to "strategically" cover the damaged parts. I thought the grey suit fabric is a nice addition as it makes the bag look a little less casual. I had also reclaimed the raincoat pockets for use as pockets for RG to store his little stuffs like namecards, thumb drive, cellphone, lozenges etc.

It's not a huge document bag but it should be able to fit at least 3 ring binders as well as some books.

I had conveniently used the raincoat lining as the bag lining. The stitches are visible on the inside but I kind of like the "raw" feel.

Ok, now that I look at the bag again.....I realise I've made something that I'd totally carry......but not sure if it's to RG's taste too?? :P

Oh well.....too late now....I hope he likes it....or I'd have to make another one *gasp*