In a few days, we leave for a trip to Maui! Jonathan and I are so excited to be going...we've never before been there. Plus, we are going with five couples who are some of our closest friends. I wanted to make a tote, a large stuff-everything-in-it tote, to carry with me on the plane. We're trying to do only carry-ons to streamline the airport process, and so a large tote for the plane is a necessity. I looked for free patterns on the internet and found one at Mama's Pocketbook. It's a very cute and easy pattern. I sewed my bag in 2 hours, and I am sure some of you out there could do it faster if you sew often. I made my bag bigger than the instructions say, and am very pleased to have a finished tote that I can take on the plane and was cheaper to make than anything I could buy for the same quality.