I’m back now, with round TWO of the QuiltCon Super Totes! I talked a bit about the first one last week, so I won’t go into full detail with this one since it’s pretty similar… maybe.
The pattern is the Super Tote by Noodlehead. It’s $8 and can be purchased in her shop. It is seriously the perfect bag! It has a few customization options and goes together rather quickly.
This bag is part of a promotion going on to show off Alison Glass’ Handcrafted fabrics at QuiltCon called ‘Share Your Handcrafted’. Handcrafted is a newer line by Alison that is a form of Batik, which means each and every yard is unique and has slight differences. Alison explains the story, process and more on her own blog. It’s a good read.
Andover Fabrics so generously sent over a bundle of Handcrafted and some more Sunprint 2015 fabric (because they know how much I love that stuff) for this project. I then used Andover black chambray for the sides, various strap pieces and for the top section of the interior. Chambray is a little on the thinner side (since it’s main use is apparel) so I used extra interfacing to stabilize it a bit more.
This bag lays a bit different than the first one I made, mostly because of the different weight fabrics. I like that. It helps me justify the fact that I made TWO bags for one trip. One is a bit stiff with loads of open pockets and one is a bit more relaxed with a bunch of zipper pockets. PERFECT!
I just had to photograph these awesome gussets again! They make the bag roomy, but not too bulky, plus they just look so neat! I had purchased this Anxiety patch from the New Woodsman and felt like it looked at home on the bags strap. My husband said it made it look more punk. Ha!
I was unable to get a good photo of the front inside pocket, but it’s exactly the same as my last super tote. I was inspired by From the Blue Chair to add a little organizer inside to help keep my phone and such close at hand.
Now here’s where the two bags differ, a bunch. I did not add a main zipper closure, instead I left it open and free. To help keep things organized a bit more and secure valuables (since theres no top zipper) I added TWO zipper pockets inside, one on each side. I even made them extra fancy by having one magenta and one plum. oooooh. I also only included one divided elastic pocket, instead of two, this time because I didn’t think I needed them.
The inside of this bag isn’t as pretty as the last one. I messed up a bit on the inside gusset. Instead of sewing with a 1/2″ seam allowance, I used a 1/4″. So I added some extra pleats on the side to make up for the extra 1″ total going around. Plus I forgot to iron it all before attached them outside and inside pieces. whoops.
The outside design was totally a trial and error situation. I had those hexagon templates laying around for months waiting to be turned into something else. Then when I laid them out in my original configuration I had pieces covering the white triangles, which I did not like. So I moved pieces around, made new hexagons, etc etc, until I was happy with the outcome! I like how it kind of looks like a city with mountains in the background. It’s unique, just the way I like things.
I’m saving this bag for Saturday at QuiltCon, because I want it to be all fresh and pretty looking.So if you’re walking around that day, look for the girl with purple hair holding this bag!!
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This is so cool. I should commission you to make me one. :)
It’s easier than it looks! I bet you could make one. ;)
Love this one! I have this on my to-make list!