Vintage Fabric Tote Bag

Do you have some fabulous fabric that is just sitting on a shelf? Do you have a soft spot for vintage fabrics? (Check out ours, here.) Do you have an hour? Then put that fav fabric to good and practical use by making this cute Vintage Fabric Tote Bag. The pattern is from the Better Homes & Garden website, but any tote pattern would be fine.

Inspired by the many interesting vintage fabrics at Contemporary Cloth, I selected this whimsical fabric and a coordinating print for the inside of the bag.

A simple half yard of each fabric is all that is needed. Two rectangles are cut and sewn around three sides. Press under 1/2" at the top. This is repeated for the lining.

The long edges on the strips are pressed in and then folded together to form the handles.


The strips are edge-stitched.

The bag pieces are placed with wrong sides together and the handles are pinned in between the layers. Top stitch to sew the lining to the bag and encase the handles.

The result? A quick-to-make tote that is functional and cute!

40th

Cleveland, in Northeast Ohio, is the 40th cloudiest city in the United States. (And seventeen of those 40 are located in Alaska.) Yes, the Great Lakes produce a lot of moisture – and a lot of clouds. Somewhere around the middle of November I realize I’m in for a long stretch of sunless skies.
Thankfully, I can surround myself with beautiful colors and beautiful fibers. These metallic beauties from http://www.contemporarycloth.com/ caught my eye.

With two teenage daughters in the house, anything pink and green is always welcome and these vibrant colors were a welcome counterpoint to the never ending grey skies. Since a woman can never have too many bags, I set out to make a simple tote and selected a Butterick pattern.

The pattern was fairly simple to follow. It required craft weight, sew-in interfacing. An inside pocket was sewn to the lining.

It was not long after I began this project that I was surprised to see blue skies and sunshine. We were thrilled to have several clear days in a row, although accompanied by sub-freezing, arctic air.


The result?

Two fun bags, one satisfied Mom, and a happy "Miss Pink"

and "Miss Green."

Now which wonderful fabrics from Contemporary Cloth sewn up in a quick tote could brighten your day?

Jane