Sunday, July 3, 2016

Hi and Welcome!
I"m so excited to share with you my creation for today. This Canada Day weekend, I broke into my stash of fabrics from my favourite Canadian fabric retailers.  My favorites include The Needle & EyeSpool of Thread and A Great Notion, which is temptingly close to home.  As you can see, I have more than my fair share of fabrics on hand in my work-space to pick from! (well i'm only showing you the neat section).




I'm almost always prepping for a show, so have never taken time to make something special, just for myself.  This weekend, as part of the Canada Day Blog Roll, I decided to treat myself to a "Pretty Floral Divided Tote"  by Sherri, from 
Thread Riding Hood. Click here if you'd love to try this pattern. 

This design caught my eye right away, as it's spacious enough to use as a market bag.  Lots of room for my fresh-baked PIES (this has nothing to do with sewing but I couldn't resist)

(drooling for a piece of Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, I think I'll bake one today), breads, eggs, carrots, kale, fresh berries...just about any bounty the Canadian summer can send my way!

 It would be great as a general carry-all, too.  I'd love it as a beach bag as well and that would be my next selfish sew and oh I have the right fabrics in mind already! 
 I took inspiration from Sherri's vibrant colour combinations, which were right up my alley. Sherri has a few other patterns and tutorials that I've tried and I have to tell you, they are all pretty well written with easy to follow instructions.


For my Divided Tote, I chose an outside fabric Posh by Chez Moi which is a bold floral design in soft pastel colours that reflect the breezy feel of summer.   To blend, I used coordinating pink and pale yellow frolicking mushrooms for the inner divider, strap contrast, and outer pocket.  So summery and soft!



I made a few adaptations to the pattern, using a heavier weight interfacing, as I wanted to give more structure.  This baby has to hold a lot of market treats, so she needs to be strong.  Instead of using basic interfacing, I used heavy weight interfacing on the outer pocket, and heavy interfacing plus Peltex ultra-firm interfacing for the divider and at the bottom.

All told, the bag took me about two and a half blissful hours of quiet stitching while the early July air cooled me down, tempting me to hurry up so I could bring my bag to market to gather my supplies for my pie!

And here's the finished product: locally sourced, Canadian-designed, and beautifully market ready.  This one is definitely a keeper for me!



I really love the this bag um Big Tote!

If you missed the start of this Blog Hop, here's the line up!
Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win lots of amazing prizes!

Thanks for stopping by!

June 24: The Tour Starts HERE at Happy Okapi

June 25: Celine guest posts on Happy Okapi; Marsha @ Seam of my Pants


June 27: Sherry @ Thread Riding Hood; Reece @ Happy Okapi

June 28: Nicky guest posts on Seam of my Pants

June 29: Daniela @ On the Cutting Floor; Reece @ Happy Okapi

June 30: Michelle @ Michelle's Creations

Canada Day--July 1: Ula @ Lulu & Celeste

July 2: Marsha @ Seam of my Pants

July 3: Keshia @ Sand Dollar Design Studio

July 4: Wrap Up @ Happy Okapi

July 6: Give away Winners Announced

2 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this bag. Gorgeous, spacious, and cheery. I can just see a fresh pie coming home in that!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much! I'll be sure to post a picture of that fresh baked pie!!!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete

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