Happy September! As you may know, I am one of the 6 contributing designers for the Bag of the Month Club, and September is my month! Introducing the Highline Tote! Members can log in to the BOMC site to download their pattern.

The Highline Tote, named after the elevated park in NYC, is well suited for a day of sightseeing or running errands around town. It’s nice and roomy with a curved top zipper closure. There are large front and back exterior pockets that can hold magazines plus a front flap concealing a small zippered pocket for phone or mad money. The interior has a large slip pocket and a small zippered pocket.

 

What happens when you get tired of carrying your tote? You convert it to a backpack! The back exterior pocket conceals a zippered strap. Just pull it out of the pocket and tuck the handle in. Unzip the strap and hook the ends to the d-rings near the bottom of the bag. Hook and loop tape keep the pocket closed. The front tote handle can also be flipped down and tucked into the front pocket.

 

Now you’ve got a quick and easy hands-free bag. Since the handles/strap are not completely removable, there’s no risk of misplacing them or forgetting to bring them along. I purposely kept the hardware small and light to reduce the bulk in the pockets when stored.

 

I’ve found that I often like to carry a backpack on one shoulder. Fortunately, the strap can also be configured to carry the Highline sling-style! Just zip the strap and hook both ends to just one of the d-rings.

 

To get your creative juices flowing, here’s a selection of Highline Totes made by my amazing testers! I love their different fabric choices and combinations. Left to right: Cindy used an Amy Butler quilting cotton with leather and linen accents. Stacy used a fun map print with faux leather accents. And Linda chose a solid main fabric with a bright patterned accent! I love them all!

Bonus! I’ve included a fun coloring page at the end of the PDF to help you visualize your Highline. There’s lots of opportunity to mix and match fabrics and add pops of color with zippers and accent fabrics.

If you’re not a member of the Bag of the Month Club, you can still join! This session runs July-December. Join now and get all of the previously released patterns at bagomc.com. There’s also a super fun Facebook group to join that’s full of friendly members who are there to cheer your bag making on!