Great feedback, thank you all! I'm so glad I joined this forum
. I hadn't thought of a binding, Jessie, so I might just see how that could look before I go the other way. And Wondertape, definitely Greybird, I'm a big fan, was using some just this morning to sew a zip on a pouch.
The bag is from this book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krafttex-Style-Combines-Leather-Fabric/dp/160705910X. I'm using grey Kraft-tex rather than white on my tote - because that's what I have, and it's probably more practical anyway. And I haven't bought the lining fabric yet but that should be easy - any black/white/grey combination should work. Last Christmas I promised a friend I would make her a bag, so this is it. Only took 12 months to get round to it
.