Mother’s Day Gift Poolside Tote

When my mom saw my first Poolside tote, she said really liked it, I thought it would be a good gift to make her and a good palette cleanser.  I make a lot of garments and sometimes it’s nice to make something else to get your creative juices flowing.  I was surprised, but I really did like making the tote bag.  I’m not a complete convert, but I think it’s good to make different things.

Ijjo

The first Poolside tote I made was for the May/June issue of Sewn Magazine.  I painted the tote and went through a series of methods to get the look I was going for.  I’m not an artist so I show an easy way to paint on fabric.

The directions for the tote are clear and I didn’t find any errors.  I really like the facing piece for the inside the tote and the size, It’s not too big and it’s not too small.  I tried my hand at some faux leather vinyl for the accent pieces.  I used my walking foot and a Microtex sharp needle.  I also used Annie’s Soft and stable interfacing for the body of the bag and Pellon SF101 for the lining.

The  instructions tell you to cut the lining smaller if using the Soft and Stable foam interfacing, I think I shaved off about 3/4″ off the top of the lining so it wouldn’t look “baggy” on the inside.  It helped but I was pressed for time and didn’t feel like take the lining out and deepening the seam allowances.   I think I would trace off separate lining pieces and take 5/8″ off the pattern pieces so it would be taught on the inside.  I need to work on what the right amount should be in terms of the lining because it is contingent on the type of interfacing you use.  For the front accent pieces, I used fabric glue to help keep the accent pieces in place, didn’t really work lol, but I gave it a try.  I didn’t want to use pins because of holes and clips wouldn’t work because of the placement.  I want to make this again and may try my hand at cork fabric.

Overall I like the bag, my mom loved it, imperfections and all.  I will make it again, I just have to find the right fabric, like everything else I want it to speak to me.  I don’t love all home dec fabric and I would like to quilt it next time so I’ll be on the look out for a good modern print that would look nice on a bag.