I LOVE this compact square bag! I've been wanting a bag for myself that was a little bit wider than the Not-So-Small that I had been carrying but not quite as big as the iPad size one I had used last summer while traveling. I stacked up the things I wanted to carry in the bag: my calendar, my sketchbook, my wallet, my sunglasses, a few pens, my phone, and my bulky keys. I made three layers, one for each compartment of the bag. I decided that 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches would be perfect.
The finished bag is about the size of a large sandwich. I can slide the sketchbook in to the big center compartment and still have room for my (Baby Shara) wallet in there along with two pens clipped to the sketchbook. (I can actually jam a paperback book in there, too, or in the open back pocket if it's a small book.) My calendar fits perfectly in the back open compartment along with my keys and sunglasses (in a soft case). I love the built-in phone case under the flap because I can fit my whole hand in there to grab the phone, and there's still room in there for receipts, tickets, small maps, etc.
I especially love the Nicholas Wilton painting of the sheep from a Lotus dog food bag. Below is a working drawing that I made when designing the bag. The drawing on the right shows the under-the-flap wide phone pocket.
I used this bag last night and someone asked me to make one for her exactly like it. You can have one too for $35. Order it on the Bigger Bags catalog page. Select the 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 2 1/2 " bag, and give any special instructions in the text block on the Paypal button. We still have a few of those sheep, but act fast if you want one.