Walmart Knock-off Hobo Bag

I was interested in making a hobo style bag and rather than looking for a pattern in a fabric store or developing my own, I decided to look in Walmart for a cheap bag that I could deconstruct and copy. I was pretty jazzed when I found this bag on clearance for $5.00!

Isn't it lovely?!

I had Goodwill T-shirt from the 2006 Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival. (I never knew there was such an event, but I thought the image was pretty cool.) The original color was tan, and I dyed it "Brazilian Nut."

For the lining, I decided to use a shirt my husband, Mike, donated to my collection which he received from his cousin, Tom, who is a seafood broker.

So I deconstructed the Walmart bag, ironed the pieces, and traced around them onto pattern paper. I developed a long shoulder strap as well. I'll spare you any of the construction details. Not complicated - but took longer to make than I thought it would.

Here is the finished bag.

There is a cell phone pocket and a larger square pocket inside.

Lastly, I had my reluctant model wear it so you can get an idea of it's actual size.