The Caravan Tote pattern is very popular right now. People are making in it all kinds of pretty fabrics.
I LOVE owls and these are not the cutesy ones, but nice fierce ones. So this was my starting point, but what fabric to combine it with?
I want classy, not crazy quilt. It wasn’t easy finding the fabric. Be open minded, don’t just look at other quilt cottons. So I went to the sale rack at JoAnns and found this faux suede for $5 a yard. Good thing I bought a yard since my attempt at ironing showed me why it’s on the sale table. It is backed with webbing, when ironing, the suede crinkles. So I was very careful to use a warm iron or a seam roller. As a bag, it’s not getting ironed.
Details make the bag! The brass zipper and brass snaps. The perfect matching seams of the printed fabric. The red leather handles, with the matching red fabric on the zipper tabs. Ok, I ran out of brass snaps, so used black snap heads on the handles. The handles are too thick to attach, so I sewed them on and punched a hole in which I glued the snap heads, sometimes it’s not functional – just beautiful.
Love how each small detail adds it’s own oomph. Oh and I can’t forget using the beads as a zipper pull.
I played around with lining and pocket fabrics, this is where the quilty fun happens, inside the bag. I very carefully sewed the handles on with topstitching thread and a leather needle. The problem is there is always a mess on the back side. Solution, serge some tabs and glue them over the stitching.
The front has both a snap pocket and an internal pocket – so much useful space! And room for more pops of color.
An internal pouch, here I reversed the fabrics but used the same zipper pull.
And added another fabric for the lining.
Loving the nice neat topstitching I get with the new Juki. Probably could get the same with the old Juki, but I am really enjoying getting used to the new machine.
LOVE! Sinple shapes, simple fabrics, a very balanced placement of colors.
Side by side, while normally the small pouch would be inside the larger one. The tote was designed as a project bag, so I will be putting some basic tools in the pouch. I am using this as my summer bag, but it’s nice and roomy to just include my knitting and not need to bring another bag.
Its’ June already but this belongs in memadeMay, the skirt, the shirt and the wonderful bag.
I need to expand my bag making – Love this!
Yes you do! Its not that hard
This turned out really cute and is the perfect sized bag, in my opinion at least 🙂 And your attention to detail is great as usual.
If you are ever in my area there is a winery nearby called Kynsi winery and they have a cute owl on their wine labels and a barn with owls inside. You can’t visit the owls because the barn is closed off, but it’s cool knowing that they are there! Oh yeah, and the wine is AMAZING!
Need to put on my list of things to do!