Made a tote along with the Presser Foot blog

On twitter I ran across a post about an online sewing group that does projects together. I checked out their blog page presserfoot.blogspot.com and it looked like fun. The first project they put up is a simple tote that looked so cute. It would be best being crafted from some sturdy fabric and just a few days prior, I just so happened to have cleaned out my box of upholstery fabrics and had a stack of them that just weren't big enough to make full aprons. I had set this stack aside wondering what sort of project would be fun. Sometimes the stars just seem to align because I had plenty enough fabric for this tote bag project setting right there waiting for me.

I got my bag finished in about an hour and a half and along the way I decided to make a little pouch for a cell phone too. I was picturing myself carrying this tote to the beach with my towel and a good book then remembered how much I depend on that inside pocket. This bag is just a simple design and I figured a removable pouch would be better than adding a pocket.

I'm happy about how my bag turned out. The hardest part was making sure that I matched up the stripes at the base of the bag. Of course, next time I could just make life easier for myself and not use a striped fabric! (oh, but I do love stripes so I'll probably do it again)

Here are a couple of pics of my bag. I've decided not to keep it because I need another tote bag like I need a hole in the head. I've posted it up in my Etsy store so if you know someone who would enjoy it, just click any of the pictures to purchase.