The Fabulous Free Pattern Friday Simple Tote Makes Sewists Happy

"Do you ever have days that you just feel low? Nothing's happened, everything is the same as it was yesterday, you aren't sick...you just feel low. That's how I'm feeling this morning. A few years back, I read The Magic of Thinking Big. A very motivational book. I recently checked out the audio version as I thought my husband would also enjoy it. We were going to be traveling, so an audio book is always a welcome diversion. In the book he suggests saying out loud in a big voice, "I FEEL GREAT!!!" He also suggests that you smile just as big as you can, a great big goofy smile, showing lots of teeth. It is amazing how those 2 simple things can change how you feel. As soon as I'm off the computer I plan to shout out the mantra and smile a great big goofy grin. I'm smiling now at the thought of it and I'm already feeling a bit better :)

Back in early December I shared the bag below with you as a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday item. I am just about to wear out my bag as I grab it for everything, and...it makes the best shopping bag too. I called it a Simple Tote as it is so easy to make. You can find the original post HERE. I used panels that I purchased at Joann Fabrics, a fabric chain store here in America. I made one as a grab bag gift, one for myself and one for my mother. I recently saw the lady who won the grab bag gift. I was surprised when I saw that she had the bag with her. She told me that she too uses it for everything. and she loves the size and the versatility. Nice that it was such a hit :) 

I recently received a message from a lady I met a while back when I was in Novi for the American Sewing Expo. She is an instructor and also sells Viking sewing machines in Indianapolis, Indiana. She loved the tote and asked if I would mind her using my instructions for a class. She made up the sample below.

 And here are her proud students.

They used Home Dec remnants, added embroidered initials, and made the bags their own. I just love those beautiful smiling faces!

Chris, the instructor told me that a couple of the ladies are new to sewing, and they were so pleased with their bags. Ahhh, I love it when a new sewist is born :) She also told me that a few of the ladies added a zippered pocket. Great idea. I completely forgot about adding a pocket to the bag I made for my self and I REALLY miss having one. So keep that in mind if you decide to make a tote for yourself.

For those of you who may teach summer sewing camps, keep this bag in mind. The size is great for books and can easily be slung over the shoulder. Made in a fun fabric, I think most teenagers would enjoy having a bag like this for school.

Have a wonderful day, and smile big!   

Rhonda

Make My Tote at 50% Off

I just couldn't wait to get home and post this!!!

Below is the bag that I made yesterday for this week's Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post. 

I took the bag with me today to the Haute Couture Holiday Party and so many of the ladies loved it, in fact, a number of them left the party and headed straight to Joann's.

Well, you can have one too, even if you don't live near a Joann Fabric store, and even better, the panels are on sale for 50% off. 

Lady Dragoness found the panels on the website and left a message letting me know that they are on sale, so I just had to pass the info on to all of you. Here's the link,

http://www.joann.com/search?q=Square%20By%20Design

There are 14 panels to choose from. I have them all pictured below.

I wasn't able to find the handle that I used in black online, but they do have the tan, and you can find it HERE. The tan handle would work beautifully with the cream ground panels.

Enjoy making your totes!

Thanks again Lady Dragoness!!!

Rhonda

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/A Simple Tote That's Fashionable

Living in a city like Chicago, I see a lot of people carrying bags for an extra pair of shoes, shopping purposes, or for whatever it is that they need the extra room that a bag will provide. I've seen people carrying everything from plastic bags, to shopping bags that are hardly stylish. So why not look put together? And for those of us who sew, it's really so very simple.

For those of you who live in America and live near a Joann's Fabric store, I was recently in the store and in my favorite section, the Home Dec department, when I came across these wonderful panels. The one that initially caught my eye had the simple treble cleft in the center.

 Here's a sample of some of the other designs that they have.
The panels measure 26 1/2" high x 25 1/2" wide, so they are fairly large. They are a home dec weight fabric.

When I saw the treble cleft, I immediately knew I wanted to make a tote bag.

To make the bag, you will need;
1 panel for the front
1 coordinating piece of fabric for the back, I recommend using another piece of home dec fabric.
Lining Fabric, I used quilting cotton
Fusible Fleece
1 set of handles
1 sew of purse feet
Chip board to create a hard bottom for the bag

I decided to cut down the panel as I felt that it was just a little too large for a tote bag. A better size is 18 1/2" wide x 20 1/2" long. This measurement includes seam allowance.
I simply folded the panel in half to insure that I kept the design in the middle of the panel. 
Once the front panel is the desired size, use it to cut the back panel and the lining. You will need 2 lining pieces.

Fuse the fusible fleece to the lining pieces and sew the side seams together. Press open.

 Now sew the bottom seam with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving an opening for turning.

 Clip the corners.

 Pinch the side seam and the bottom seam together. From the point, 

measure in 2" and mark with a pin.

Sew across the pinched in points. 

 Clip the points down to a 1/4" seam allowance.

Sew the side seams and the bottom seams of the panel and back fabric together just as you did the lining. The panel and back fabric will not be backed with fusible fleece and you will not leave an opening in the bottom for turning. Pinch in the corners and clip them just as you did the lining.

Everything I used for this bag came from my local chain fabric store, Joann's Fabrics. I found a great set of ready made handles that were just perfect.

To attach the handles to the bag, I cut 4 rectangles, 2 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" long. I used the fabric from the sides of my panels to create the rectangles.

I simply folded the rectangles in half,pressed, and then used the pressed line as a guideline. I then opened the rectangle and then folded each side to the middle.

Then I folded the 2 sides in on each other. At this point, edge stitch each side of the tabs.  

Thread the tabs through the rings of the handles and then baste to the bag. My tabs are approximately 4" from either side of the bag. Set the bag aside.

 For a little added security, I like to add a magnetic snap. Find the center of the lining and measure down 2" from the top. Use the backing to mark the placement of the snap. As you can see, I am marking the snap placement on the backside of the lining.

Snip the marks that were made and push the magnetic snap through. Push the prongs apart to secure. 

The snaps are in place and we are ready to attach the lining to the bag.

Place the outer bag inside the lining, right sides together, and sew around the top with a 1/2" seam allowance.

Once the top seam is sewn, pull the outer bag through the opening in the bottom of the lining. Once the bag has been turned, push the lining inside the bag and stitch the bottom seam together.

To give the bag a more polished look, I decided to add purse feet. 

Below, you can see inside my bag and see that the feet have been anchored through the outside fabric as well as the lining.

To cover the hardware for the feet and give the bottom of the bag a hard bottom, I cut a rectangle of chip board. Chip board can be found at an artist's supply store. Be sure to get the heaviest weight.
Once I had my chip board cut, I them made a sleeve from my lining fabric and slid the chip board into the sleeve and hand stitched the opening closed.

With the chip board panel in place, the inside has a finished look.

I'm all set to go!

And the bag looks just as lovely from the front as it does from the back. Much better than carrying a plastic bag ;)

Once I finished the bag, I realized that I forgot to add an interior pocket. It isn't necessary, but nice to have. If you would like to have a pocket, simply cut a square the size you would like the pocket to be and stitch it to the lining.
I can't wait to use my new bag! 
A note to my family....
THIS ONE IS MINE!!!!