FO: Super Tote!!!

Hurray!  The planets all aligned and I managed to get my Super Tote finished before the end of Sewing Summit!  I brought all the fabric and hardware with me, then cut and assembled it over the two nights of open sew.  I finished it about 15 minutes before they closed the room on our last night!

I used Melody Miller arrows, grey fine wale corduroy, and a couple of Tula Pink prints that went well with them.  I only made a few changes to the handles, otherwise it's all done as written in Anna's pattern.  I also opted for store-bought handles.  I'm not a fan of turning the tote bag handles inside out, so I will go to great lengths to avoid it.  Pure laziness, though I think it really made my version look pretty snazzy!  I also opted to topstitch the very top of the upper edge, through the handles.  A few people told me theirs pulled the outside towards the inside when it was full, so I thought I'd try to avoid that.  It's working great!

This bag is huge!  Like so huge I used it for a carry on.  I'm pretty sure my youngest child would fit inside.  Which is great, except that I tend to fill it up and it gets heavy.

Overall I think it took me about 5 hours.  There are A LOT of pattern pieces to keep straight, and parts of it are a bit fiddly to sew, so go slow.

The pattern is amazing (as are all of the Noodlehead patterns I've made!)  I highly recommend it.

Cosmetic Pouches and Bunnies

Tonight I made two little zipper pouches.  I followed the instructions for the cosmetic bag in I Love Patchwork by Rashida Coleman-Hale.  I made this bag once before, but gave it to my mom before I got any pictures.  The construction is fairly simple, though I chose to sew in the lining at the same time I sewed the zipper to the outside, and it worked well.  (If you know how to sew a lined pouch, you can do it this way too.)

A few months ago, I made two bunnies for my boys.  I had intended for them to be done in time for the boys to see them Easter morning, but of course that didn't happen.  But, they were done sometime in May I think, so not too bad (I'm really bad at doing anything in a timely manner.  That's why I'm just now blogging about them.)  (What?!  It's hard to take pictures.  I have to hold my camera.  And click the button.  See?  Hard.)

I followed the Purl Bee tutorial for the Soft Woolen Bunny, and while they were certainly futzy (the SMQG women got an earful at one of our sew-ins, ahem,) they weren't impossible.  The directions are very clearly written, but the arms and legs are smaller than my usual projects.  Futzy.

I used two different colored corduroys for the bodies, and matching velveteen for the ears and ribbons.  I think they're adorable.

And of course I've been amassing more fabric.  That never stops (Nordika and Melody Miller Arrows.)

I've also been working on a Sparkling Cider quilt, for a commission project.  Super fun!