Saturday, June 21, 2014

Tote Bag for Summer

Today is the official first day of Summer!  Time flies, doesn't it?  Let's head to the pool!

 
This tote was inspired by Ren's Tote-ally Thankful for our Teachers post at The Inspired Wren!  She has a wonderful FREE Lined Canvas Tote Tutorial!  Thanks, Ren!
 
My fabric is actually drop cloth for the body plus some fun stripes and a floral, both found at Wal Mart a couple of years ago!

 
This was my first time to use fusible interfacing.  I purchased a medium weight, which made my bag a little too stiff.  (Another sewing lesson learned!)  The lining should be tucked inside, but the outer shell wouldn't fold over and iron nicely, so I just let the lining peak out and top stitched it in place.  The little pops of pink at the top are kind of nice anyway! 
 
 
This was my first attempt at matching stripes, too!  'Not bad!  ;-)  My favorite part, though, is the fussy cut pocket, so there's a big, honkin' flower on the front!
 
 
'Got your towel?  Great!  Throw it in my tote and let's enjoy Summer!
 
;-)  -Marci

19 comments:

  1. I love it! I like the lining peeking out at the top -- great solution that adds a nice detail. And the pocket is perfect.

    You should link it up on the Share page: http://theinspiredwren.blogspot.com/p/share.html !

    (And Inspire Us Thursdays, too.)

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  2. Love this tote! The colors are great, and it is so neatly-done. Wonderful.

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  3. love it :) the fussy pocket and the edge of pink at the top make it awesome. Have towel, will travel!

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  4. Hi Marci, this is the cutest tote and perfect to carry to the beach, pool and more.
    Love the design and fabric.
    Enjoy and Happy Summer!

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  5. This is a great bag! I have been wanting to make one similar for toting around water bottles. Wonderful fabric choices.

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  6. I love it, and I think having the lining appear around the top of the bag is much better than leaving the top plain.

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  7. Very cute! I love this fabric. I used it to sew my very first purse! Enjoy your new bag this summer!

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  8. I love how you improvised the lining top instead of being defeated. We would never have guessed! I've done the same thing with buying interfacing that is thicker than necessary but at least you have a good study bag now. Love the colours and fabrics together.

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  9. This is beautiful! Thanks for linking this wonderful post up to my “Themed Blog & Shop Hop!” http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/2014/07/themed-blog-shop-hop-sparkling.html
    Angie

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  10. I love it! And the liner on the top looks great, no need to hide it!!
    Gorgeous colors!!

    Found you via a blog hop, will continue reading your blog a bit more now. :]

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  11. What a very pretty bag! I love the color scheme. Thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday.

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  12. What a lovely bag, love the size and colors. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  13. Love the mix of stripes and the fussy cut flower, Marci. The unintentional pink at the top works well. A great bag, and one I'm sure you'll use a lot.

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  14. I love this tote bag for summer!! The fabrics and colors are wonderful and so cheery!! Stopping by from Sew Crafty Angel's Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party. I am a co-host of this party and a follower of your blog.

    Stop by my blog and follow me back: http://craftybrooklynarmywife.blogspot.com

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  15. This wonderful post received the most "likes" from last month's Themed Blog & Shop Hop!
    Angie
    http://www.godsgrowinggarden.com/2014/08/july-2014-themed-blog-shop-hop-results_14.html

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  16. Simply love your tote! Must read all the links and hopefully I will be able to make one my self :)
    Have a nice Satursday

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  17. HI Marci
    I love your sweet Tote, the choice of fabric is so pretty and I think it is probably better with the lining showing at the top.

    I have just started to teach myself to sew and I found your blog through the Threading My Way linky party.

    Michelle :o)
    http://stitchunpickrepeat.blogspot.com.au/

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