At Long Last My New Pattern...The Bold and Beautiful Quilted Tote Bag

From March 2015 until now May 2016), I have been in a long process of personal transition and change. My art and sewing projects were set aside for more than a year while I moved twice and finally resettled in Longmont, Colorado. I'm home again in Colorado, after all my moves across the US for my career, and it's lovely to be near my family and participate in family activities whenever I can.

Today, I'm happy to introduce my first new pattern in over a year. The Bold and Beautiful Quilted Tote Bag has finally made its debut at www.craftsy.com, where I sell my tote, accessory, and quilting patterns online as PDF downloads.

Just as I went through major transitions, this pattern did too. It started out as an entirely different shape, but when I couldn't seem to get my first idea to work last summer, I put the pieces aside for another day. After I settled in my new apartment in February and my sewing room was "open for business," I found the time to rethink the design. The second design didn't work either, so out came the seam ripper. The third time was a charm, as they say!
I'm really pleased with the final design and hope you will enjoy making your own version. The tote is made of fabric I quilted myself. That's become one of my trademarks, since I can't seem to find double-layer pre-quilted fabric that I like. And, because you can choose two fabrics you love instead of settling for what's available, the resulting tote bag is truly one-of-kind, expressing your personality and your personal color palette.The bag pieces are cut first, then quilted and trimmed, making it easy to quilt them before assembling the bag..

The tote has contrasting front and back shaped panels that hold the contrasting pockets in place. The panel and the upper edges of the pockets have a bound-edge finish. The wider binding at the upper edge of the finished bag also holds a zip-top panel in place inside the tote. The panel unzips so you can drop it down into the bag when you want to use it with an open top.

The roomy tote will stand up when you place it on a flat surface, but when you unload it, it lies flat due to the hidden tuck that creates a non-traditional boxed bottom, which you can see in the photo below. I love this feature for easy storage and also because it is easy to pack into a suitcase on my travels...to tote home treasures!

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There are also two divided pockets on the inside for stashing small items, including your cell phone.
The straps appear to have bound edges, but the faux binding is created by a really simple flat sewing method. For a truly polished finish the side and bottom seams are bound inside the finished tote.

I hope you'll find two fabrics you love to make this tote your own. You can purchase and download the pattern at www.craftsy.com

Until next time, keep sewing and smiling,
Barbara