Oilcloth Tote Bag

I totally missed my deadline for starting Christmas sewing. November just doesn't do it, but I did get the first gift made before Thanksgiving. In the summer, my daughter Kristin and I had seen a small oilcloth tote bag in a retail shop. She liked it because of the size (enough for lunch or her Kindle and iPod) and the fact that it stood erect and did not slouch over. I first tried a prototype lined with batting, but it was still kind of squishy. I then happened upon a review of "Soft and Stable...for Bags and Beyond!" This product is 100% polyester and is similar to foam. It provided the stability I needed. Check it out here. The oilcloth is from the Loulouthi collection by Anna Maria Horner.

Canvas Tote Bag No. 1

On a trip to Mexico, I purchased two wall hangings made from bark. I needed to buy two canvases to mount them on. In an effort to save money, I decided just to purchase canvas by the yard and have my husband build stretchers for them. Somehow, when shopping for the fabric, I left my math skills at home and came home with an overabundance of canvas. What to do? At the same time, I decided to make tote bags for my daughters, Laura and Kristin, who are avid quilters. They have been my inspiration to take the giant leap into quilting. Eureka! Canvas was the way I would go. For the first one, I made a log cabin block. I copied the hummingbird from the fabric and used fabric paint to continue the motif on the pocket.

 

 

Canvas Bag No. 2

I discovered this great retro quilter's fabric "Housework Whenever!" by Sharon Yenter for In the Beginning fabric. It couldn't be more perfect for an avid quilter. This time, I also made a pin cushion to accompany the bag. When I made my first canvas bag, the inside seams drove me into a frenzy. Canvas ravels very quickly, and the seams were very unruly. First, I tried zigzagging the edges. They still looked untamed so I ended up encasing them in bias tape...a solution, but very time consuming. On this bag, I did a French Seam: a seam stitched first on the right side and then turned in and stitched on the wrong side so that the raw edges are enclosed in the seam. This worked like a charm and saved me many minutes of gnashing my teeth!

 

 

 

Pocket Panel

 

Pincushion