A Granddaughter Pouch

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My younger DGD said to her mom the other day that she needed another “JanBag.” So I decided this ByAnnie Clam Up zippered pouch I made before heading out on vacation on January 1st will become a new JanBag for her.

I love this bag pattern. The pattern gives five sizes and I made the size Large. The fabric I used was from Tula Pink’s “Evergreen” collection. Again, I used the “Good Hair Day” print, only this time in the color Karma. For the lining, I used the same Neon Tent Stripe in Spirit that I used on Harper’s Packing Cube in the previous post. I quilted the exterior and lining together, making a sandwich with ByAnnie’s Soft & Stable foam stabilizer, and using the stripes to guide my quilting. Love!

Note: My phone colors are not coming out the same as the actual colors of the fabrics. I know Harper’s bag (previous post) was a much lighter turquoise/teal than it showed in the photos. Sorry about that.

As my workload is lighter this semester than last, I’m thinking I’ll do some stashbusting and make a whole set of these Clam Shells. I love how the empty pouches nest inside each other, and I love how handy these little pouches are. I hope you think so, too.

Vacation Packing Cubes for Two Sweet Little Girls

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In late November, my talked to my sister, who lives in Mt. Pleasant, SC, about my flying over to spend a few days with her as soon as I was done with my final Christmas show. She told me about her plans, and who all would be coming to visit her, and the fact that her granddaughter, Casey—whose family started the move of the extended family to South Carolina—and her two young daughters would be flying to Boston to visit friends from their time living there before the move. She also mentioned that this would be the first airplane rise for the little girls. Of course my sewist’s brain started whirling.

Note: The colors in these photos are not true to the color of the fabrics. You might look online at Etsy or google the fabric names to see truer colors done with by a more practiced photographer!

I’ve made several of designer Sara Lawson’s Sew Sweetness Vacation Packing Cubes, from her Minikins 2 collection, for myself and my younger granddaughter. I love these cubes and use them each time I travel. For the cruises we love, I put undies and PJs in the small size, t-shirts in the medium size, and pants in the large size. I have the Tetris game of fitting those three cubes into my check-in bag, along with shoes and toiletries, down to a science. Wouldn’t these make sweet little bags for these sweet little girls?

When fabric designer Tula Pink’s “Evergreen” collection was announced in Spring 2023, I immediately ordered a set of fat quarters to use for bagmaking. I thought those prints would be wonderful for Harper and Taylor. My sister told me Harper like pale turquoise and Taylor likes yellow. So I flipped through this pack of fabrics and chose the print “My Hippos Don’t Lie” in the colorway Spirit for the exterior and Tula’s “Tent Stripe” in Spirit Green lining. I had purchased some matching zippers and chose the turquoise with black teeth, and the turquoise mash fabric from ByAnnie for the front panel that zips open.

For the first time in many years, I printed labels on my HP inkjet printer. The labels said, “Commemorating Harper’s First Airplane Ride, Decdember 2023, With love from Great-Auntie Jan” and “Commemorating Taylor’s …”. Harper’s label was on a piece of the exterior fabric. Taylor’s was on a cream colored quilting weight fabric.

Back of bag. Handle made from lining fabric.

 

Interior of Harper’s bag.

None of the fabrics in the collection had much yellow in them, so I chose the lion print, “Good Hair Day” in colorway Lunar Orange for the exterior of Taylor’s bag. There was a little yellow in the print, and I hoped that would be enough for her to love the bag. The lining was Tula’s “Neon Tent Stripe” in color Nova. I used the exterior fabric for the handle on Taylor’s bag. I see these pictures don’t show the handle. I had to look back at the pictures Casey sent me from the airport to see Tay holding the bag by the handle.

I’m pretty sure the little girls didn’t pack their own suitcases. So they used the Packing Cubes as any youngsters would: They packed their favorite stuffed animals to take along on the flight.

Back of Taylor’s bag.

 

Inside of Taylor’s bag.

I shipped the package to my sister’s house. She took it to their home for Christmas eve dinner. I’m told the girls loved them.

Ready to board. Casey told me the counter agent complimented the girls on their bags. #happyauntie

The Longest Commission in History

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Setting the Stage: I have a cousin on my mother’s side whom I like very much. He has a lovely wife whom I also like very much, and with whom I share a love of theatre—she has had a long and successful career in theatre education and production; I am a collaborative pianist who works as a rehearsal accompanist for theatre productions at my local university.

She texted me over two years ago saying she had found some remnants of two pieces of cotton fabric that she and her parents bought when traveling in Egypt in the 1960s. She wondered if I might take the fabric and make some bags from it for herself and her sisters. Of course I said, “Yes,” but I didn’t realize how intimidated I would feel about cutting into this precious fabric.

I still work outside the home, and was overwhelmed with music to learn in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years. When I paired that workload with my feeling of need to find the most perfect bag patterns to use, I chewed up a whole lot of time before turning out a bag or two.

Now I’m down to the Very. Last. Bag.

I’ll show you the final six bags. At the end of this segment, I’ll give you the links to the patterns I tested and the bags I already delivered. I hope you enjoy walking through my struggle and my enjoyment with me.

I decided to make the Paladin Pouch, from brilliant designer Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness. [Link to Paladin pattern.] The pattern is designed with a wristlet strap; in the past I’ve also made it with two D-rings so it can be worn as a crossbody bag. I’ve made this bag several times—type ‘Paladin’ into the search bar on my home page to see all the posts I’ve written about its construction. It has a couple of tricky steps, but what a nice bag! Three pockets under one zipper—who could ask for anything more?!

This is the first one I made for this group. I chose the lining fabrics for all of these five bags from the colors in the beautiful print. The lining on this first bag is from RJR Fabrics, designed by Jamie Fingal. The collection is “Hopscotch,” the pattern is “Intertwining Puddles,” and the color is Sunshine. The trickiest part of the construction is twofold: to create the middle phone pocket and to sew the two exterior pockets together without screwing it up. When you buy the pattern from Sew Sweetness, you can order it with or without the video tutorial. BUY THE TUTORIAL! If you have the video to watch, you can just sew along with Sara as she demonstrates how to make the bag. You will skip all the confusion I’ve previously subjected myself to while thinking I was an advanced enough bagmaker to zip through making this bag.

I used the video, and got this great bag out. Number 1 of the final five completed—yay!

So, I started in on number two. One of the two exterior sections has a zippered pocket on the lining. It’s easy to do. I’ve done that zipper insertion many times. But I wasn’t looking at the video on this step. Bad, bad! There was something about the way the pattern pieces were identified on the written instructions that made me pick up an exterior piece rather than a lining piece in which to make the pocket. Shit!

When I turned the pocket and pressed the edges prior to sewing the zipper in place, I realized I had the exterior piece—not the lining!—and had cut the heads off all the Egyptians! Now, how could I right this wrong?

I remembered seeing some bags posted somewhere in my scrolling that had a horizontal piece of fabric covering the zipper opening. It’s a nice look for an exterior pocket. I didn’t have a pattern that showed that construction, so I just dug around in my experienced-bagmaker brain and figured out how to measure the fabric to achieve the desired end result.

I knew I couldn’t use the Paladin pattern, but thought the Metro Double-Zip Pouch, which I had also made many times, could work with the Paladin exterior pieces. Link to post of multiple Metros. I realized I could just skip the front pocket, use the exterior piece with the Headless Egyptians as the front, and the existing back as the back of the Metro. I added an interior zippered pocket to the back lining. Using these exterior and lining pieces that had already been cut out would make this Metro hack just a little larger than the Metro in Size Large. Then I could cut the bottom corners of the four pieces to make a boxed corner, and I would have a quite nice bag. Lemonade from lemons!!

Et voila! Number 2 of the Final Five was complete. I went back to my cutting table to see if I had enough of the vintage fabric to cut another Paladin half. But the more I looked, the more I realized I couldn’t make a bag of the same dimension as Number 1. The remaining fabric was too narrow. I needed to cut the exterior pieces narrower than the pieces I cut for the Paladin, and add some of the lining fabric to the sides to make it work.

I knew I could do it, but was in the mood to start sewing the next one rather than cutting, so I went back to put another zippered pocket in. Damn, damn, damn. I used the wrong piece and cut off the heads again. I might need to go talk to an appropriate medical professional to see if I should be diagnosed as ADHD. I was so annoyed. Well, I’d just make another half a Metro.

I added the extra lining strips to the exterior panels, and moved on to the zipper insertion. And with a snap of my fingers, I inserted the zipper opening into the wrong panel. Again! Sometimes my brilliance amazes even myself!

I moved ahead and finished the second Metro Double-Zipper Pouch. And now three bags were done.

I must elucidate here that this was not one continuous block of time that allowed me to produce these bags. It was an hour here. Fifteen minutes there. Every minute counts!

On to the second [legitimate, not hacked into another pattern] Paladin.

Moving deliberately and carefully, I was able to finish the second Paladin Pouch. I made it with two D-rings rather than one, and ordered a narrow purple adjustable crossbody strap so the user would be able to wear it multiple ways. And it’s ready to go.

I moved some things off my cutting table and gathered all the scraps of the bright Egyptian fabric and folded them before placing into a small plastic bag. It would go into the shipping box with all the pouches to go to Virginia.

While I was straightening out my cutting table, I realized I had a couple scraps remaining of the other fabric. I could make a couple of small pouches to tuck into the box before shipping.

I have become enamored lately of the bag patterns by Svetlana Sotak, a sewist and bag designer who lives in the Netherlands. If you’re interested in learnin how to make some simple bags, follow her on Instagram. She posts lots of reels there showing how simple some of her bags are.

One of the simplest is the Elliott Pouch. I looked at the dimensions of the three sizes of this bag, and then at the dimensions of the two scraps of fabric that I had, and cut four 7½” squares. I dug through my gold and orange remnants to find a coordinating fabric I liked for the lining. And very soon I had two small pouches that the bag owner could fill with bits and bobs to keep together inside a tote bag or purse.

And just like that (and the passing of over two years), and simple assignment—that I overthought into a very long and laborious project—was complete. Already I’m pondering what project I want to dive into next. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be one of three wall hanging quilts that I promised Jas I would make for our newly renovated bathroom, with was finished in the spring of 2021. Or for the wall over our bed. That room was also repainted in 2021.

At least I’m consistent!

Here are links to the test bags I made while trying to decide on a pattern, followed by links to the stories of the earlier bags I made and sent to Diane, about this time last year.

The first test bag is at the end of this linked page: Link

Test bag number two: Link

Test bag number three: Link

Test bag number four: Link

Test bag number five: Link

Test bag number six: Link

Test bag number seven: Link

Test bag number eight: Link

First two tote bags delivered: Link

Third tote bag delivered: Link

All the remaining bags are detailed in the body of this post, above.
Hurray for finishing!!

Two Bags, Same Fabric

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I love wearing twin sets, although in clothing, a twin set means a matching tank top and cardigan. This is my bag version of a twin set, both using a black Richloom vinyl (Pattern: Sunrise; Color: Onyx) and a canvas print that I love.love.love. (Rifle Paper Co.; Print: Bon Voyage.) Link to the fabric collection. Travel and I are dear friends, but you already knew that.

<Sidenote On>
If you really love this print and would like an item using it, here are some goodies you might like. Rifle Paper Co.
<Sidenote Off>

The back story is twofold: I’ve been struggling for a very long time (one year? two years?) to get some bags made for my cousin Ken’s wife, Diane, out of vintage fabric. As I understand it, the fabric was purchased in Egypt or India on a trip with Diane’s dad, who is now deceased. It was purchased a Very Long Time ago—thirty years? forty years? Yes, I’m short on the details here. Sorry. Anyway, I’ve had about six weeks off this summer and wanted to try very hard to get three more bags made before school starts again on August 28.

There were two fabrics that Diane gave me. Out of the first fabric, I made tote bags.
(Tote Bag Blog Post #1)
(Tote Bag Blog Post #2)

Ever since I started mulling obsessing over this project, I thought I wanted to make crossbody bags for these women. I love the hands-free nature of crossbody bags. But there are so many patterns—good patterns— on the market, I wanted to make sure I have the perfect one before cutting into this precious fabric.

But here’s the thing about perfection: it’s vastly overrated. And as I look around me at the bags women carry every time I’m out in a store, I notice most of the bags are solid colors. A lot of people would not be drawn to a bag they’re going to carry every day in a print rather than a solid.

Diane sent me a sweet note after I sent her the third bag. She said she likes to keep a bag of bags around to toss into her car when she gots on a trip, whether a long road trip or just to the store, and that was how she would use that tote bag: to tote around extra, useful bags.

And suddenly it hit me. Why not make her a useful bag. This will be the topic of the next post, in a few weeks.

But back to the Hillside crossbody bag, above. The tiny Groom crossbody bag that I carried every day suffered a broken zipper that I refused to figure out how to fix. So I wanted to replace it with a crossbody bag that was a little larger that I would love every time I picked it up to go somewhere: school, shopping, and for vacation. I had bought a yard of the Bon Voyage fabric several months ago, and knew this was something I would love every single day.

The pattern shows exterior front and back slip pockets (full depth open pockets that sit close to the bag which you can just slip things into). One of these has a magnetic snap to hold it closed. The second is divided in half by a vertical seam. The interior also has a divided slip pocket. But I feel more secure with zipper pockets, especially to have on the exterior to hold, for example, my phone.

So I hacked the pattern and replaced the exterior divided slip pocket with a zipper pocket. I also added a zipper to the interior pocket, making it double duty. It sort acts like a divider in the bag interior.

To cut to the chase, what would I do differently?
(1) The most frequently-bought magnetic snaps (the male/female type) come in two sizes: ½” and ¾”. I grabbed a ½” to use on the front slip pocket. Wrong! I should have used the ¾” one, as it is stronger. The slip pocket doesn’t stay closed well and it bugs me. Taking that finished bag apart to switch out that snap is simply not going to happen. I’m choosing my battles. Next time, I’ll use the ¾”.
(2) The interior zip pocket is awkward. Next time I will use the back lining piece and put an inset pocket there, making the other a divided slip pocket, as designed. One simple interior hack rather than this awkward one.
(3) The vinyl I used, which is designed by my nextdoor neighbor, in her textile designer position with Richloom Fabrics. Most of her vinyls are a heavier weight. This one is softer; it’s absolutely a lovely weight, but just softer and more pliable. This bag would have benefited from having a more substantial weight fabric.
Lesson learned.

End of the story of Twin #1 and the second half of the twofold story:

The second Twin to pop out was a response to the whole debacle of another broken zipper, this one in the little (purchased) zippered pouch in which I’ve been carrying cash (bills, not change) and cards for several years. That zipper got mucked up and I couldn’t unzip it to pull out bills for tips or whatever. I looked for a replacement pouch, which was documented here. It was not the solution for me, but my daughter-in-law said it was perfect for her uses, and happily took it off my hands. Aren’t I lucky that those are her favorite colors?!

I turned to Sotak Patterns, which is run by Svetlana Sotak, a bag designer based in Germany, selling her patterns and handmade items on Etsy. It seemed to me her Lisbon Pouch would be more to my liking.

I am now using both the crossbody bag and the little pouch every day. The pouch—not exactly as I envisioned. I haven’t carried change with me for years. Now I put coins in the front zipper and bills in the top zipper, and it works fine. Just yesterday I went to Aldi and “bought” a shopping cart for the first time, because I actually had a quarter available.

What might I have done differently on this sweet little pouch? The main thing was the zippers. Svetlana uses metal zippers, which are difficult to cut, and a great way to ruin fabric scissors. I didn’t pull out my jewelry-making snips to cut it—shame on me. Anyway, Svetlana’s zipper techniques are a little different that what I usually do. Next time I will use a zipper with nylon teeth, and not have that oopsie that is visible on the front zipper.

Otherwise, I do love this little pouch, and can see it sticking with my for a long time to come.

So what did I do with the cards I carried in the old pouch? I cleaned out my purse drawer and found a Perlina card case that I bought at Nordstrom a thousand years ago, probably when I had an employee discount. It has room for twelve or sixteen cards. The IDs and debit cards go on one “page” (#4), infrequently used cards (Sam’s, Shell Oil) on page 3, and frequently used credit cards on pages 1 & 2.

My time is now freed up to quickly make up the bags for Diane (stay tuned) and to practice for my first Zombie Prom rehearsals in two weeks.

My Best Laid Plan

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I have been using this little Lodis zippered bag for several years. I put all my IDs and debit cards in the front slip pocket, and my credit cards in the back slip wallet, then my folded bills in the zippered pocket.

It was the ideal little bag to switch from one purse to another, or tuck into my pocket when running to the grocery store or going out to dinner. I had a favorite small Groom crossbody bag that it fit perfectly into, next to my phone and proof of covid vax.

Then, within one week, two things happened: My Groom bag zipper broke. And the zipper on my little Lodis bag started getting caught on the stretched-out lining so that retrieving a dollar bill or two was impossible. What to do, what to do?

I sew. I make bags. Surely I could find a pattern for a similar bag. I thought the Sotak Patterns’ Two In One Pouch might be the one.

But I neglected one important factor—the front and back pockets were only attached to each other at the bottom, not at the sides. There were only two pockets, not two zippered pockets and one effective pocket in the middle.

So, during a busy week, seeing doctors and preparing to go out of town for a week, I made time to construct this bag. I finished it twenty minutes before going out to dinner with friends on Wednesday night before we were leaving to drive to Wisconsin the next morning.

That’s when I figured out there was no middle slip pocket for my bills. Ugh.

Sitting in bed this morning in my son’s guest room in Interlochen, looking out at Bronson Lake, I began thinking about bags I’ve made in the past that have center pockets, zippered or not.

I have enjoyed making several Paladin Pouches in the past. But it’s far too large for my purposes. I can study the architecture that creates the center pocket, then figure out how to downsize it. And here’s another Paladin. Or …

The Metro Double-Zip with my stealth center slip pocket that I figured out how to add to this pattern. If I size this down and figure out how to add a zipper to the middle slip pocket, this might work. Once I get home and can measure the original Lodis bag, I’ll dive into this project.

In the meantime, I did find a new substitute to keep my cards and cash handy. This little wallet, made by Hammitt, holds IDs on one side, credit cards on the other, and bills in the zippered center pocket. (And I found it at 40% off. 👍) So the function is the same, the form is just slightly different. Oh, and it doesn’t fit in the pocket of my jeans.

Oh, well, I’ll keep trying, and will post here if I ever figure out the solution that’s Just Right.

Woo Hoo!! The little Two in One Pouch now lives with my Darling Daughter-in-Law. She loves the colors. She couldn’t wait to have a pouch where she had a side for bills and a side for coins. 💚💙

And, for your viewing pleasure, here’s the annual picture with my younger son, Tyler. We’re in my family’s Happy Place, Interlochen Center for the Arts.

And the first of such pictures, from 1988, I believe. That was his first summer at National Music Camp, since renamed to Interlochen Arts Camp.

The Third Cousin-Bag

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Two years ago, my mother’s eldest nephew’s wife (i.e., my cousin) texted and asked if I’d make some bags for her and her two sisters out of vintage fabric she purchased years ago on a trip to Egypt. (I may have gotten some or all of the facts wrong, but two years is a long time during a pandemic.)

I stay busy as a collaborative pianist at Youngstown State University, and have to make time to sew. And I had to choose a pattern. So I spent the entire summer of 2022 auditioning bag patterns.

For the camel fabric, I finally settled on the Tourist Tote Bag, from Sew Many Creations. If you’re just starting out as a bagmaker, this pattern is an ideal starting point.

The fabrics I used to coordinate with the vintage camel fabric are:

  • The base is an upholstery vinyl from Richloom Fabrics’ manufactured housing and RV line. My nextdoor neighbor is the designer, and she frequently gifts me with her unneeded samples. They are a dream to sew with. JoAnn’s carries some Richloom home dec pieces, which you might also like. Or you can let Google help you find other vendors of the Richloom fabrics.
  • The straps are made from “Dimples” by Gail Kessler for Andover Fabrics. I believe the color name is Amberglow. Follow that link and look at all those incredible Dimples colors. I’ll be ordering more of this fabric in the future!
  • The lining of the zippered pocket is Carved Rounds Batik in Orange, available from Lunn Fabrics. If you love batiks and don’t know Lunn Fabrics, you’ve just found your new best sewing friends! They’re located in central Ohio and have the best batiks made to their specifications in Indonesia. Here’s that link, and look at those colors!
  • The bag lining it Whisper tonal floral, from P&B Textiles, but it’s not on their website. If you want this orange, my LQS has it—Village Quilts in Canfield, OH. Type 00537 (the number 0, not the letter O) in their search bar. The number is the manufacturer’s number for this fabric. I used Whisper Orange.

The interior of the bag, showing the zippered pocket on the back.

The lining of the zippered pocket.

I shipped the bag to my cousin the day I finished it, and almost forgot to take photos. I received a text right after it arrived. She said she liked to always keep a “bag of bags” available if she needs to make an unexpected trip. So inside this camel bag will be a small bag of cosmetics, another bag of medications, maybe some device chargers, and so on.

Now to get started on the second fabric. I’m determined to have these done before the summer is over!

You can read about the two “sister” bags here.

Brushing Up

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How awful is it that I haven’t posted a new make in almost six months?! That’s just terrible! Well, in my defense, there was a bit of a sandstorm in my basement sewing room that coated every surface with concrete dust. I’ve gotten half the room cleaned up, but there are still a lot of surfaces that need to be cleaned and fabric that will have to be washed. If you look at the pictures on this page, you’ll get an idea of what happened.

But I needed a mental break and was able to grab an hour (or maybe a little more 😉 ) on three different days to make this Sew Sweetness Vacation Packing Cube for my youngest granddaughter. Tyler, his wife Leslie, and Leslie’s daughter, Caroline, drove down from their new home in Interlochen, MI, at Christmas. The primary impetus for the trip was the 90th birthday of Tyler’s college mentor, Dr. Ron Gould. But while spending three days with me, the kids and I got to spend time with my eldest two grands, Celeste and Cody. We played games, ate, worked on a new jigsaw puzzle, ate, and just generally had a lot of enjoyable bonding time together.

I noticed that Caroline carried her brushes and curling iron loose to the bathroom to do her hair, and I thought she might like a special bag to hold them when she traveled. On the last few trips I’ve taken, I had to search around for something to hold my similar items. I didn’t like the idea of the brushes’ bristles getting caught in my sweaters. I had been thinking of making a similar bag for myself when I found a padded bag in my basement bag stash. I used that on our January cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, but I didn’t love it. It took up too much space.

I made three packing cubes for myself two years ago, and I use them every time I travel. I have a large Eagle Creek soft-sided suitcase that I love and use every time we go on a cruise. Those three packing cubes hold all the clothes I need for a 7-day cruise, and leave just enough room in the suitcase for my shoes and toiletries. It thought that bag would be perfect for Caroline’s hair things. But if I used the mesh panel, it wouldn’t protect anything in the suitcase from the bristles.

I really thought I was being brilliant to think of using vinyl instead of mesh for the zipper panel. Then, when I looked at the Sew Sweetness blog post (above), I realized I was not the first person to think of this modification. Oh, well.

I had a hot pink zipper-by-the-yard with rainbow coils and flower pulls, and thought Caroline would get a kick out of that. Luckily, I had two different coordinating batiks in my stash that went perfectly with the zipper.

I cut the bag pieces an inch wider than the Small size pattern to ensure that the curling iron would fit in. When I tested the size after completion, there’s plenty of room for more brushes or a container of mousse or hairspray or shampoo. Everything in one place. And the bag is soft, so if all she wants to put in it is the curling iron, it will smoosh down to fit in the available space in her suitcase or carry-on bag. 👍

The only other change I made was to quilt the bottom exterior panel to some Insul-Bright Insulating Thermal Lining. This would protect the bag and the surface on which it was placed if Caroline had to put the curling iron away in a rush. I also told her mom about the heat resistant mat I have and suggested Caroline might like to have one. I found mine in Walgreen’s in Traverse City five years ago when I was spending three summer weeks playing for dance classes at Interlochen Arts Camp. The one I have is made by OXO, but they may have discontinued production of these items. Here’s a similar mat on Amazon.

With the combination of the heat resistant mat and the insulated bottom of the bag, Caroline’s belongings will be safe if she has to finish packing and rush out the door while the curling iron is still warm.

The only major error I made in this construction was to cut the exterior back out before deciding to quilt it to the insulation. Quilting any fabric to foam or insulation draws it up so the finished piece is smaller than the dimensions you cut. Ugh. I kept thinking I could work around that smaller back piece, but it was going to make the pieces of this puzzle not fit together properly. So on the last day, I cut another piece of fabric an inch or so larger all the way around, and another piece of insulation, and did the quilting all over again. Once quilted and trimmed to the right dimensions, the bag went together beautifully.

Today I’ll pack it up and ship it to Caroline, and then hope I can find some time in the next three months to make one for myself before we fly to Seattle to cruise to Alaska and explore Denali National Park.

I do love the time I get to spend in my sewing room, even if half of the space is still dust-covered. Maybe before I make a second bag, I should find some time to finish cleaning that room.

Two Bags Delivered

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The whole time I’ve been testing crossbody bag patterns, I was thinking about the circus fabric my cousin gave me. I knew I wanted to make tote bags out of the elephant fabric, as there was much less of that fabric, and I needed to stretch it to make three bags.

Hmmm, now that I’m looking at these two fabrics again, I don’t even know why I have envisioned it as circus fabric in my head. I don’t even know what to call it, but I sure love those colors!

Anyway, I used the Tourist Tote Bag pattern from Sew Many Creations. To get three bags out of the elephant yardage, the widest any bag could be was 17″. I figured out the ratio of 17″ to the width of the bag in the pattern, and those were the dimensions I used.

This is the first bag I made from this fabric. The base is a cork fabric from SallieTomato. It sews like “buttah”!

The lining was a teal quilting cotton that perfectly matched the teal in the print.

The bag pattern doesn’t call for any pockets, but I can’t stand totes with no pockets, so I added a zippered pocket in the back of the interior.

Honestly, this is such a great pattern. If you’re a beginner sewist and are wanting to learn some bagmaking, you couldn’t go wrong beginning with this pattern. Or if you’re experienced and just need a quick gift for a special occasion, this PDF pattern should be your go-to.

Here’s the second bag. This is made out of a 10 oz. waxed cotton canvas, which is water resistant. I’ve been making waxed canvas bags this summer in an Intermediate Bagmaking Class offered by Ellie Lum of Klumhouse Patterns. That was a 12 oz. Canvas, and stands up beautifully. That’s what I thought this bag would do, but I was wrong. So I used some plastic needlework canvas and made a false bottom to lay into this bag to help it stand up better.

And here’s the lining. You can see the bonus zippered pocket and the false bottom in the bag.

Honestly, I love how these two bags turned out, and can’t wait to start the third one when I get home from vacation.

Here’s the post of the test bag that led to these two.