Margot Tote, Reading Public. Reading Public, Margot Tote.

So, time to learn you a little bit about the bag that kind of started it all, the Margot Tote. Just take a look at the evolution of this bad girl:

The first version was a diaper bag. It was made on a home sewing machine, a 70s model Kenmore, and made of duck canvas with a vinyl lining.

It then turned into this as a tote bag. Gee Whiz, the stitching on that is less than desirable! But hey, thats how we learn! This was also duck canvas, even on the inside.

Then we came here. This version was also a diaper bag and had a vinyl lining. Better stitching here and we added a zipper up there if you can see it.

Then back to a tote. The flap on this one looks huge! This version also had a zipper and was made of duck.

Then I got my industrial sewing machine and was able to really do things I couldn't with my Kenmore. This next generation of Margot was proportioned properly and had that Juki stitching!

Then we played around with a few waxed canvas versions. Trying to get the proportions and pattern JUST so. You'll also notice we ditched the white thread. The brown just looked so much more... sophisticated to me.

And now we get to the Margot of today. Waxed canvas and cordura, this is a killer work, Mom, diaper, lunch, ANYTHING bag.

So, we've cleaned her up a bit. Got rid of all the odd kinks from the previous patterns and went with a two tone color scheme.

Take a look under the hood and you'll find the key clasp and two good sized pockets. The flap doesn't go all the way over the zipper like the others. That interfered with the shoulder straps so we moved the flap to the front of the bag.

And on the back side we got a big ol' pocket for your convenience. Good for a book or notebook that you want to get to easily while sitting on the train or sitting in the waiting room.

The inside - where this bag really shines. First lets start with the large pocket all the way to the left in the above image. This is for your magazines, notebooks, or tablet. I like having those off to the side and out of the way so this compartment was a must. Move a bit to the right and you get to the "gadget" pockets. Good for iPod, cell phone, mints, etc. Just to keep your little things in an easy to find place.
Now lets got all the way to the right in that view and note the zipper pocket. This is a big guy and perfect for all those things you need to be hidden and secure. I always keep cash in a zipper pocket, I'm careful like that. And adjacent to the a fore mentioned zipper pocket is a pen slip and two wide open pockets for bigger things. You'll see in the pictures above we fit a camera, umbrella, water bottle and a baby bottle in those. Which brings me to my advice portion of this post. Possible addition to the Margot: In the new Randall we added an elastic inside for water bottles. I've debated adding one to the Margot but something tells me that may just be too much. What do you think?
I hoped you enjoyed getting to know the Margot and are inspired to organize!
We're tossing ideas around in these parts about a possible December addition to the Etsy store - more on that next time!