Is it possible to have too many tote bags? You may not have a need for a new tote, and yet, you find yourself at the fabric store buying up fabric because you think it will make a fantastic bag. This beautiful Kokka enchino Bird on a Ball canvas was a stash purchase at QuiltCon from a few years ago that was begging to be made into a bag. It’s vibrancy and the pattern just spoke to me. I don’t know about you, but this is why I have a stash; I find a fabric that I love and I don’t always know what I am going to make with it, but I just know it needs to come home with me. This Bird on a Ball was one of those moments. So two years later, out it comes and I finally have the courage to cut into it and make it into something fabulous! 🙂
For the size, I used the fabric itself to determine the overall size as I wanted the design to shine. I chose a low contrast light interior to make it easier to locate my keys if they were to fall to the bottom. I added one long pocket with a divider down the middle for better organization and added a bit of the left-over exterior fabric at the top of the pocket as an accent. The handles were purchased from Joann Fabric and sewn directly in to the stitch line (I went over a few times to reinforce and strengthen). I also used a bit of thin foam to add a bit of structure between the exterior and interior fabrics.
Art & Sew 