When faced with the dilemma of making this quilted bag into a really weird hat, or biting the bullet and just finishing it - I chose to finish it.  And you can see why!  :) 

Man,  I am such a dork.  Definitely not my best look ever!

But, seriously, I did finally finish the darned thing.  I had a really difficult time wrestling the bag under the presser foot of my machine.  With the stiffening from the timtex and the boning along the back, it was really difficult to get the lining sewn in.  Attaching the handles on the sides was no picnic either.

When I put in the magnetic clasp, I could not sew completely around the outside edge of the flap, so I added a large button to cover the break in the stitching.  I was planning to do this anyway to dress up the front, but I got the added benefit of covering the "blank" spot.

Here are some more photos of the bag in progress.

I am NEVER EVER EVER making this bag again. 

Really.

Ever.

Amen.