New Pattern - The Big Bag

$5.00

get the pattern here

I like to use reusable shopping bags when I go to the grocery store - and after 20 years working in the children's book industry I have a LOT of really terrific canvas bags. The problem is that a lot of them are too small for a lot of what I buy. That is - I have a lot of bags that will hold exactly one box of cereal. :-(

Enter . . . The Big Bag. Now THIS is a tote bag! It's 16 inches wide x 14 inches tall x 5 inches deep. I keep this one hanging in my studio to hold packages waiting to be shipped. I keep a few in my car to carry groceries. It's big enough to hold a few bags of chips, 3 or 4 boxes of cereal, or a bunch of veggies (including lots of healthy-but-bulky green leafies) from the farmers market. I use one when we visit friends at the lake - it's big enough to hold a couple of towels, a small blanket, and some snacks. It's a terrific size for carrying bulky things!

The straps are just the right length for slinging it over your shoulder, and the whole thing folds up neatly.

Oh - and it's lined (because contrasting linings are always fun) and has a nice big pocket on one side.

Ready to make your own? It's easy - all straight line sewing. And like all my patterns - it has links to videos teaching you every skill you'll need to finish it. It will probably take 1-2 hours to make it.

If you want to make one just like mine, you'll want to use fabrics from Ed Emberley's Happy Drawing collection from Cloud 9 Fabrics. I used the dragons for the main fabric, alligators for the pocket, and blue scribbles for the lining and the binding around the pocket. I love this collection - and I hear there's a new one in the works. Yay!

Get the pattern for The Big Bag here.

Happy sewing! And have a great weekend!

Best,
Wendi

Video - How to Miter Corners with Double-Fold Bias Tape

Ever since I did this video showing how to make bias tape I've been getting questions about how to get neat mitered corners when you use it. Finally - here's the answer. :-)

I used this technique just recently when I made this roomy tote bag. Pattern coming tomorrow!

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

Show & Tell - Duck, Duck, Robot

Look what Rebecca made for her son! So cute, no? Want to see it a little closer?

I love stitching on clothing. You can only hang so many hoops on the wall - but I can have a seemingly unlimited supply of stitched T-shirts. :-)

In case anyone else wants to do the same, Rebecca was kind enough to offer some details about size and # of threads used. . .

Here's my duck duck robot. Since I had to reduce it to 60% size to fit it onto my 1 year old's onesie, I used 3 threads for all the outlines and 2 for the flowers. It's all a bit crooked because I forgot to iron the dissolve away on, but I'm just chuffed that I can totally do something like this. And my boy won't mind a bit. :)

Terrific job!

If you're confused about the stabilizer she mentioned, watch this video. It explains why you needs to stabilize stretchy fabrics before stitching and shows you the product I used to use for that. Since discovering The Magical Embroidery Stuff I've started using it instead. It serves the same purpose but it's even easier to use (No Tracing! No ironing! No bits left on the back when you're done!). :-) And you can find the Duck, Duck, Robot embroidery pattern here.

Remember - all embroidery patterns are 20% off through midnight EST on Saturday 5/19. Use code TEATIME for the discount.

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi