Tote for Christmas

I've been trying to decide what to get DGD this year. She ususally asks for a pair of PJs, but told me a few weeks ago that she was good in that department. For her and DD the custom for us is to send 2 gifts to open (one from me and one from Gramps) and a check to each of them to put toward something they want/need.

I have two small gifts for DD already, but DGD has had me stumped. This morning after Curves, I decided that a new tote for school books might be appropriate. As far as I know, she is still using the one I sent a couple of years ago. Not wanting to have to get out, I hoped I could find enough materials in the stash to complete a tote. As luck would have it, I found some acceptable fabrics.

Here's the finished tote:



I have quite a collection of patterns for purses and totes, but I just wanted to get something done fairly quickly and decided to just "fly by the seat of my pants." I found some left over denim. I decided it would make good "lining" and I didn't figure adding interfacing was necessary since it is a nice hefty piece. After eyeing it laid out on the cutting table, I took a chance and cut two rectangles 18" X 14"--18 for the width and 14 for the length. I thought by doing the lining first, I could tell if this size would work for me.

I eyeballed a pocket for the inside (no zipper--just an open top pocket). I guess finished it is about 8 or 9" wide and 7" in height. I sewed the side seams using .5" seams and then sewed the bottom. To make "squared" corners, I folded "triangles" at the bottom corners and sewed the diagonal seam.



Here, it's "standing up." Hopefully, you can see the position of the pocket. That white line in a marking I haven't removed yet.



I had this tapestry in the stash from earlier purse/tote making days. It is car license plates. Maybe not the most feminine, but I think she'll like it. Plus the Texas and the Missouri (where she lives) are next to each other so I was able to gt both of them on the front of the tote. (See the finished tote pic at the top of this post.)

I wanted to make the actual tote a bit taller, so of the tapestry, I cut 2 rectangles of 18" X 17". That would give me about an extra inch or so at the top when I folded down the tapestery over the lining at the top.

I first sewed the tapestry at the bottom seam and topstitched the seam open.



Then came the strap webbing. I thought I had run into a snag with "on hand materials," at first finding only hot pink webbing that was 3.5 yd long (which I needed). I kept thinking I had some tan somewhere (I wish I was better organized) and I finally found it. Otherwise, I would have had to wait until tomorrow to get an appropriate color. As you can see in the following photo, I began sewing at the bottom seam and sew all the way around, back to the bottom seam.



I measured in 4" from the raw edge and placed the webbing outside along that 4" line. At the top, I measured down 3" from the raw edge to stop sewing the webbing at that point so I could turn down the top for finishing. At the beginning and end of the webbing, I turned under the raw edge about 3/8" and double stitched. The loop for the "handle" measured 28" from the point at which I stopped sewing at the 3" mark and began sewing again on the other side of the top at the 3" mark. (Is that confusing?)

Once the webbing was sewn, I sewed the side seams and the bottom corners (as I had done for the lining) to square off the bottom. Wanting it to have a bit of a "reinforced bottom," I cut a piece of the plastic canvas the size of the bottom. I think mine ended up being 4" X 12.5". Actually, I cut the plastic just slightly smaller than the actual measurement. Not wanting the plastic edges to eventually wear through the tapestry, I covered the plastic in some warm and natural batting scraps. I'm not sure if you can see it well in this photo.



I inserted the covered plastic at the bottom of the tote and sewed it in with a few hand stitches at the center and each side so that it would stay anchored in place. I put in the denim lining. I then basted (sewing machine basting) around the top of the lining to hold the lining and the tapestry secure. I then turned down the top of the tapestry to the inside about 1.5"--enough just to cover the raw edge of the lining. I pinned well and then I sewed around that "hem" finishing off the top edge. I removed the basting that I had done prior and then reinforced the webbing by topstitching the webbing at the top of the tote sewing " a box with the X" to secure the handles.

Lastly, I sewed in my label and considered it done! I didn't look at the clock when I began, but I think it was about 11:30 a.m. I was done by 3:30 p.m. (and that even counted me searching for materials to complete it). Not bad, and I'd rather be sewing than shopping!





Later.............