Snap Out of It Bag

Last winter I learned about using retractable metal rulers to create closures for bags.  My BFF came to visit and we explored quilting stores together where the new patterns from The Stitichin' Sisters Stitichin Sisters site were selling like gangbusters.   We made a few while she was visiting and I, being the non-quilter, had to made some adjustments to make it work for me.  First of all, I want a bag to be big enough to hold a full length pen or pencil so I made it wider.  Next, I find those 1/4 seam allowances somewhat fiddly so I made the side seams 1/2".   I also like some width at the bottom so I made a small boxed bottom.  I liked different closures rather than prairie points so I used shaped tabs and fun buttons, and last I wanted it sturdier so I used interfaced fabric or home dec fabric.   I'm happy with how it turned out and now I have a hostess gift and holiday girl gift whenever I feel like taking about 40 minutes to make one.
I made this one to take to our sewing guild meeting in the spring.  One of our members works at the Robb and Stuckey designer showrooms (large, luxurious furnishings and decorator store) and she brings decorator scraps each month.  It's fun because the fabric scraps are often coordinated.  These are the three that I took off the table to make this little bag: two cottons and a plaid silk that I used for flat piping.   We have an annual "competition" to see what became of the "leftovers."
Here are visuals to show how I made mine: