2 posts tagged “tote”

Basically, I followed the link, but I think there is a better way to do it, somehow incorporating the zipper between the liner and the pocket itself but this worked for now.  I like how the pattern of the pouch is hidden on the inside.  What a nice surprise when you unzip!

Lots of pockets, which I lined with the outside fabric, and also positioned it so that the top of the pockets would have a sneak peak, almost like piping.  The pockets were stitched with RAINBOW thread.  It was really fun to use.  Because, duh, rainbows are fun:

And I like how I was able to match the top so that the pattern of the fabric is continuous with the zipper.  I didn't start to do this on purpose when I cut the fabric, but when I realized I could orient them that way, I was pretty excited.  Look at that INTENSE zipper!  Bad ass durability.

Why are all these pictures date stamped?  Because I used my mom's camera because mine was out of battery power.  Also, I am WAY too lazy to get rid of them.  Let's focus on the crafts, and not the quality of the pictures, people.

I also tried my hand at making a lined box bag.  It was a little bit of a debacle because I ended up sewing the bag SHUT without anyway of turning it inside out, but then I figured it out, ripped a hole, flipped the entire thing inside out and blind-stitched the bottom.  It came out okay!  I kind of wish I made the bag fatter because I think it would be cuter like that, but this works:


I added a little hem-tape tab to the back so that there's something to hold onto when you zip it closed.  There's also a small handle on the other side.

All in all, a really good learning experience and great practice sewing.

I'm off to my first ever DUCKPIN BOWLING.

I love the robot fabric because it says "ROBOT" all over it and the fabric is named "robot council" which is super cute.  Why do the Japanese have such a monopoly on cute things?

I also had to learn how to make a buttonhole on my sewing machine, which was actually not too bad.  It does involve a little bit of guesswork and width measuring.  It just a matter of putting the sewing machine on a certain setting and stiching evenly.  You have to make sure you measure the button well so that the button will fit through easily.  And then, of course you have to be precise in the cutting of the fabric.  Huge button?  HUGE BUTTONHOLE!  The first recipient of a tote bag craft saw it and loved it.  And she immediately though to turn it inside out.  I didn't make it to be reversible, but SOPRESA!  It was.  I also learned to make a covered button which was also really fun and simple.  Cut out a large circle of fabric, cover a metal button, apply the back, bam, done.  But because the button was so HUGE I had to put a cute stabilizer button on the other side of the fabric.  Turquoise star!
That's boyfriend's arm up there in the corner.  He could totally be a QVC product model as his backup job.

I learned a lot more about sewing totes/purses now that I've made three of them.  I think my next step is to learn how to make a concealed zippered pouch on the inside.  The matching zippered pouch was really easy to make and I think that's kind of a basic start.

It would be so awesome to have an Etsy store.  Too bad I'm lazy.