My thoughts on the Azalea/Sapphire MCB ~ reposted from Ravelry

[dorayme]

Today (9/22) my Azalea/Sapphire MCB arrived!



I'm beginning to wonder if the damages that have been recently reported on delivered UPS boxes is occurring at the WA end of the trip, vs. the receiving end. I had not had any problems, until today's box! The address lable corner is severely crumpled :( Thankfully my beautiful Azalea MCB was safe inside, though part of the damage to the box went all of the way through the cardboard to the inside!



This is my first Cafe Bag. I was on the fence as to whether or not I wanted a Cafe bag. Actually to be honest I had climbed back over to my safe side of the fence away from the Cafe Bags. I was scared of the vertical orientation, soft structure, black hole syndrome. Also, the way everybody described loving to carry them, on mass transit, to work, etc. didn't fit with me and how I function daily. So they seemed great for everybody else but me.

And then one was given to me, so I decided to give it a try.



I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK I WAS THINKING. . . This is a super useful bag for me.

I absolutely love how TB executed this bag. The colors are excellent and exquisite. The design is thoughtful from the handle grab at the back to the interior o-rings. It's a great size and shape for a day out and about, but it's not so huge that it will be too heavy to comfortably manage.


I placed in my "things":
F.O.T pouch with inhaler, tide pen, mini first aid kit and mini tube of Advil
FoJ pouch with Burt's Bee's Miracle Salve, BB Tinted Lip Balm and Moon Valley Lip Balm Tin
both of the above on a 8" keystrap attached to first o-ring
mini Wasabi pouch with my Sony DSC-T70 on 2nd o-ring
small cork pouch with Mifi and charger on 3rd o-ring
original iPad in Apple case
checkbook in one of the interior slip pockets
iPhone4 in the other
nothing atm in the pen pockets
Folca box with notions
keys on key strap also on 3rd o-ring



In the front zip pocket my monies:
mini cork with coin
cocoa organizer wallet with store cards
hemp organizer wallet with dl, insurance,debit, credit cards and bills



nothing is in the rear slip pocket, but it's nice to have it there ready to accept something that I just need to "slip" one more thing into the bag.

With all of the above, I still have more room if I chose to carry a few additional items.



So my revelation. . . I actually prefer my purses to be fairly neutral in color. I love my "fun" colorful bags for the park, museum, zoo, "field trips" , etc., like my Synapse, Side Effect and Plum/Black Swift. I like my EDC to be able to blend with anything I could possibly wear as my Cork and Hemp LS's do. . .So my revelation tells me that for now, I don't think the Azalea LS is the bag for me. I do think the Azalea MCB is perfect for me though!

Don't despair, my LS $ will be well spent on accessories at TB :) I already have a list, it's just hard to narrow it down.

I had an opportunity to carry my MCB today (9/23), from my mini outing to gymnastics class, and it wasn't enough to really have any additional opinions. I believe when I get a chance to take it out for a day's worth of use, it will be a better test.

Oh and today, I am having 2nd thoughts about writing off the Azalea LS, lol. So I guess I will just have to figure it all out when I order.

[dorayme]

Well I did something I didn't think I would do, I carried my MCB to knitnight. I cut off the low profile plastic shoulder pad and went with the Shoulder Strap Wrap. I had some errands before ending up at Starbucks to sit and knit so the cushy, non slipping, non cutting pad was much appreciated. It was also admired by a non-TB fan friend. She's not anti TB, she adores the small Dyneema OP I gifted her. I had my iPad 3 small, 1 mini and 2 wallets as well as my iPhone and keys. The MCB performed beautifully. :)



Pardon my cheesy grin, but I'm happy! My MCB is full of win, will probably be carried WAY more than I thought, and makes me feel great!

[Katy]

Well I did something I didn't think I would do, I carried my MCB to knitnight. I cut off the low profile plastic shoulder pad and went with the Shoulder Strap Wrap. I had some errands before ending up at Starbucks to sit and knit so the cushy, non slipping, non cutting pad was much appreciated. It was also admired by a non-TB fan friend. She's not anti TB, she adores the small Dyneema OP I gifted her. I had my iPad 3 small, 1 mini and 2 wallets as well as my iPhone and keys. The MCB performed beautifully. :)



Pardon my cheesy grin, but I'm happy! My MCB is full of win, will probably be carried WAY more than I thought, and makes me feel great!

Awesome photo! I'm glad you had fun! The Azalea even looks good with that outfit (which..by the way, is not purple so I wasn't sure if this photo was of your evil twin or if it was really you but the smile gave it away that it was you)!

[OnMyWay]

The MCB looks great on you dorayme! Seems very convenient and hands free for running errands too.

When I read the description of the shoulder strap wrap I always assumed it wrapped around the existing shoulder pad. Does it fit that way or do you have to cut it off like you did?

[Katy]

The MCB looks great on you dorayme! Seems very convenient and hands free for running errands too.

When I read the description of the shoulder strap wrap I always assumed it wrapped around the existing shoulder pad. Does it fit that way or do you have to cut it off like you did?

The Ultrasuede Shoulder Strap Wrap won't fit around the pad, but you can easily slide the pad out of the way toward the base of the strap, or cut it off as Dorayme did :).

[gmanedit]

Hi, dorayme. Was your knitting in the bag, too?

[jeffmac]

Dorayme, I want you to know that I LOVE the fact the the first two items you stuffed in this bag are the pride of place FOT and FoJ pouches!!

I can't believe you have me interested in a cafe bag...but there it is!

[dorayme]

Hi, dorayme. Was your knitting in the bag, too?

My knitting was in a large silver goknits pouch. I only carried it from minivan to Starbucks and back, so I went with minimalistic for the cardigan project therein.

Katy, well I am wearing steel (grey) and a baby grasshopper green. I had to give some of my other favorite colors a chance. But I did put back the muted purple, and pink tops before deciding I was wearing this, lol.

OnMyWay, Katy is right, the plastic pad will not work under the Strap Wrap. It can be slid out of the way, but I wanted the clean look of just the one pad.

And jeffmac, I think the MCB is a great size for a murse or a purse, and the colors are very fun!

[backpack]

Dorayme you look gorgeous!

Beautiful, simple outfit in a lovely color trio with a matching mug and a contrasting MCB and everything works!

Your smile is lovely!

[Darcy]

Wonderful photos, dorayme.

[Maria]

This is my first Cafe Bag. I was on the fence as to whether or not I wanted a Cafe bag. Actually to be honest I had climbed back over to my safe side of the fence away from the Cafe Bags. I was scared of the vertical orientation, soft structure, black hole syndrome. Also, the way everybody described loving to carry them, on mass transit, to work, etc. didn't fit with me and how I function daily. So they seemed great for everybody else but me.

And then one was given to me, so I decided to give it a try.

Hum? Dorayme - you are really convincing me! Seriously tempted to get myself a little small cafe bag, you know - just to see what all the fuss is about. (I hope to have enough pennies saved up very soon! By next week?)

HOWEVER, my one little fear that is an overall problem for me. The fabric on the bags rubs on my winter coats and causes friction to the point where the coat is wearing away! Un huh. My Side Effect and my Co-Pilot are the culprits, not my leather shoulder bags! I do a great deal of walking and tend to move fast so the bags and coat fabrics (mainly the leather jacket and sueded shearling coat, plus a quilted Barbour coat actually) are exposed to a long distance movement motion throughout the day, hours at a time. That's why I keep hoping the Tom Bihn Fairy Godmother may one day decide on a small ultra suede bag! I think that ultra suede would be softer on my leather and suede coats! I cannot always carry a bag by hand either.

Note to self - really want small cafe bag, wonder what self is thinking? Blame Dorayme! :cool:

Oh by the way - what is a FoJ pouch? Sorry for the silly question if brain is in neutral gear over here. It's too busy trying to contemplate a small cafe bag!

[gmanedit]

Maria: "what is a FoJ pouch?"

Fourth of July: a premium offered with a minimum order in early summer. Navy Ballistic with red and white trim.

Someday there will be Ultrasuede cafe bags. But don't hold your breath.

[Maria]

Maria: "what is a FoJ pouch?"

Fourth of July: a premium offered with a minimum order in early summer. Navy Ballistic with red and white trim.

Someday there will be Ultrasuede cafe bags. But don't hold your breath.

My apologies for being clueless / brain in neutral gear. I have a FoJ pouch actually! With my last order! Thank you for pointing it out to me. My FoJ pouch is in my Co-Pilot, well used and you'd think I would have picked up on the initials!

CHeers!