Though my mom is a highly educated career woman, she never disdained the domestic arts.  She taught me how to knit and sew as soon as I was able.  So I always knew the basic mechanics of sewing thanks to her.  However, I never ventured beyond simple seams and very well-detailed patterns.  Until this:

The Hip Mama Diaper Bag from A Mingled Yarn

I had never made a bag before and it seemed way out of my league.  But the tutorial is so well done, I was able to produce a pretty close copy in two evenings worth of work:

I added a little yo-yo rosette and a metal D-ring for attaching keys

 The only things I would avoid if I were to do this exact bag again would be
1. Using vinyl.  The tutorial suggests it and it sounds like a good idea for a diaper bag, but I found that it gave me the most trouble and often felt like it would break my machine.  What I'd suggest for beginning sewers (again, doesn't look right) is to just use adhesive velcro to adhere a solid vinyl package (like the one diapershirts come in) to the inside of the bag and put anything that might spill in there. 
2. The magnetic snaps.  Again, it's enough to shake your confidence because you have to get it just right.  I'm not a fan of having to get things just right. :)
3. The velcro on both side pockets.  Maybe do one just on one side if necessary.
Other than that, it's one of the best bag tutorials out there.  It's no exaggeration to say that it changed my life.  It gave me so much confidence, I even tried my hand at another, smaller bag for quick one-diaper trips:

Loosely based on The Basic Messenger Bag from mmmcrafts.

Craft bloggers have to be the most generous bloggers around.  The tutorials they put up take a long time and they are available without cost to anyone interested.  Mayya from SewchicandUnique put together a list of bag and wallet tutorials.  Take a look and try your hand at one.  I don't mean to sound corny, but honestly, the hardest step is just deciding to do it.  The tutorials will walk you through the rest:

List of Bag and Wallet Tutorials

Send me pictures of your finished products and I'll post them here.
In the meantime, I'll be posting a quick tutorial on a simple lined tote bag in the next couple of days inshaAllah.  Tune in.