My newest success.

LOOOK! I MADE A TOTE!

Now I'm not a seamstress by any means. This is a basic simplistic tote. I am feeling quite pleased with myself however. I can sew, but it's usually the basics, you know, patch a hole here, sew a button on there. Nothing spectacular. I've been just itching to try my hand at more serious sewing. I remember in home-ec we had to sew a pair of jams. Hmm I could be dating myself here by mentioning jams. But that, other than the random stitch em up here and there was about the extent of my sewing skills. Sure I can use a sewing machine, but that means nothing unless you actually MAKE something. So the last time JoAnn fabrics had a sale on patterns I decided it was time I break into the world of sewing.

This first attempt at following a pattern since I was about 15, was a little harder than I thought. It's not like riding a bicycle where once you get used to the balancing again you're good to go. I had a few minor mess ups, but over all it turned out pretty good. It took me about two hours to actually finish it all up and get it together. That includes a mistake while cutting, three mistakes while stitching together, having to revamp the pattern slightly to make it work since I screwed up the cutting yet again, and figuring out which was the best way to actually stitch the corners with a single side/bottom piece. I love the all over pattern. The lightest blue of the fabric pattern is like a cornflower blue and it darkens right through to navy blue. I did the lining with navy blue and the thread I used is just slightly off color as to show some of the stitching. I succeeded in getting a nice tuck in each of the corners. Pretty impressive, they all actually almost match exactly.I'll probably give this very first one to my sister. She likes purses, and I'm hoping she'll test run this one. It's approximately 10 x 12 and should be rather study and hold together well. I'll most likely be perusing the fabric sections of the local fabric haunts to look for more good fabrics and interfacings to play with. This interfacing was a little too thin and floppy and didn't get enough of a rigidity to the bag. I'll be looking for a more rigid interfacing, and one that is double sided. I didn't use double fusible interfacing. It only fused on one side (which actually worked to my advantage because I misread the instructions the first three times I read them. Not very good instructions mind you...but what can I expect from a 4 dollar pattern.

LOOK OUT I'M ON A SEWING STREAK!