Last week Steve and I (and the three dogs too!) drove down to LA so that I could go to QuiltCon. Oh did I forget to mention that at the last moment we decided to leave one day early so that we could meet up with friends and family? I told Steve that I needed three hours to pack suitcases, get the car loaded, finish a quilt on the longarm, and sew up my 241 tote. Luckily I rushed through packing and only had about 30 more minutes to go on the quilt and that the 241 tote pieces had already been cut and interfaced the night before. Towards the end I only had the strap to do so I yelled to Steve to take Fearghus for a walk around the block and then I'd be done. Whew, I don't think that I've ever stitched something as quickly as this. The straps are only shoulder length so I may cut it apart and add more so that it'll be cross-body. But I did it in time!
The fabrics are all part of Tula Pink's Eden collection. That tiger print was just calling me to do something special with it. So he was centered and no zippers or pockets were used to detract from his face. I love that the print looks like it's needlepoint. It reminds me of a modern take on something that my grandmother would have in her house.
The pattern is 241 Tote Bag by Noodlehead Anna Graham. It's pretty quick and easy to sew in an afternoon. Perhaps you'll take a wee bit more time than I did so that you can properly clip curves more and press it as you sew each step. I highly recommend this pattern .. quick and easy and so much fun to combine different fabrics together.
