Yesterday I finished sewing a 241 tote bag by Noodlehead using Halloween polka dots. Have you ever sewn a 241 tote from Noodlehead's pattern? It's very easy to assemble and allows for lots of fabrics and possibilities. I chose to use Urban Threads Halloween embroidery patterns for the side pouch pockets. They're made with glow-in-the-dark thread so hopefully it'll have a nice ghostly glow at night.
At first I sewed the Halloween fabrics in HSTs and thought that it would make a very colorful front section for the tote. However I kept having problems matching the points with the way I laid out the HSTs. I pressed towards the black fabrics and no matter how often I pinned, that thick section was giving me fits. I finally set it aside as a failed piece of patchwork. Maybe I can resurrect it and cover those horrible points with buttons for another project? Wouldn't that be cheating? I'm determined to figure out a better way to sew it again.
In the meantime I opted to sew a few of the fabrics at an angle and sew in a center strip that matched the straps and sides of the tote. That worked much better. Also it was a bit more sophisticated and reminded me of the colors in the vintage Halloween decorations.
The lining is made from those two big polka dot fabrics for a lot of fun. I also raw edge appliqued a "stitch witch" from a Halloween print for the interior patch pocket.
Overall the 241 tote by Noodlehead (Anna Graham) is a fun and easy pattern to sew. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to you. The only difference I'd make going forward would be to use a much sturdier interfacing for the exterior pieces. Also perhaps I'd opt to sew a zippered closure rather than the magnetic snap. This particular tote is going in the mail next week as part of the FLIRTS (Fab Little Random Treasures) swap on flickr. Right now I'm working on a fun extra to go with it.
