Need a Sewing Tote?

I had lots of scraps after making my last Moda project, so I decided to make a big tote bag to use for bee!

I took my leftovers and cut a bunch of 3” squares, and sewed them together and added a fabric piece all the way across the top,

but I just used all  3” squares for the back side of the tote.

I pressed fusible fleece on the wrong side of both the pieced front and the back.  Then I quilted them all over in a simple meander.

I sketched out the letters spelling “sew” in reverse, onto the paper side of fusible and pressed it onto a contrasting fabric.

I cut them out, removed the paper backing and fused them onto the front side.

I used the blanket stitch on my sewing machine all around the edges!

I added a double pocket with an elastic casing on at the top the front and embellished it with rickrack.

I also added rickrack across the bottom edge of the green strip on the front.  I used the finished front as a pattern to  cut two pieces of fabric for the lining. 

With right sides together, I sewed down one side across the bottom and up the other side on both the outer and lining of the tote.  Turn the outer bag right sides out and push the lining down into the outer bag, lining up the top edges, then baste them together.

I also added another row of rick rack around the top edge!

I bound the top edge just like a quilt by sewing the binding onto the front side by machine, then flipping it to the inside and sewing it down by hand.

I made some handles from another fabric

and sewed them onto the front and back sides at the top.

My tote ended up to be the perfect size to bring my sewing notions and project materials to bee!

I also just took it to our local quilt show this past weekend and got soooo many nice compliments on it!!

 

Our local annual quilt show was this weekend and I was so VERY pleasantly surprised to see my dear friend Susan there!!  And guess who we met and went to her trunk show at the quilt show???

Jenny Doan from the Missouri Star Quilt Co, with her awesome Daily Deals and tutorials!!

We got to see some of the quilts from her tuts

and hear her life story and meet her adorable hubby who was her assistant there!!

Two bee friends and I went to the trunk show together and then hit the vendors and the quilts!!

Sue bought an awesome black quilt ladder to lean against the wall in her family room for her quilts!!

Sooo, what are you working on this weekend??