A Flowered Tote

This is the third variation of the this bag that I’ve made.  The first was for me and the second was for my mother.  This one went to my sister-in-law for Christmas.

They really are good all-purpose tote/purse/bags.  Maybe one of these days I’ll write up a tutorial.

I’ve been experimenting with making little tags and branding a bit.  I even set up another blog, with the intention of some day closing this one down.  The other blog ended up having an entirely different feel so I’ll probably just keep both.

I had plans to make a whole bunch of matching accessories, but in the end I only had time for this pouch.  It’s the perfect size for a diaper clutch, but really it can be used for anything.

A New Purse

My friend Sylvia came to church with a beautiful purse she had made.

It totally gave me the itch to make a new purse.  So I did.

I thought a lot about the size and style I wanted and came up with this.

The material is a soft green and cream striped linen-type fabric.  I used fusible fleece to give it some substance.

I machine-appliqued a doily on the front for fun.

The back has a long slip pocket for quickly stashing keys, grocery lists and receipts.

This time I used fusible Steam-A-Seam stuff to adhere the doily.

The inside has a stiff insert in the bottom, two slip pockets and small zippered pocket.

Really it looks like this though.

Of course, then I had to make a bunch to go inside of it, including a diaper clutch, coin purse, sunglasses holder and checkbook cover.  (The embroidered pouch isn’t pictured.)

The diaper clutch is my favorite.  It’s made from a vintage pillowcase and I used the fusible stuff to attach another doily.

Now that I’ve figured out measurements and techniques, I kind of want to give it another go with coordinating fabrics.  I think it would be fun to have a purse and accessories that all looked good together.