Monday, October 27, 2008

I make things complicated sometimes...

... like when I decide to come up with a pattern for a tote bag on my own, instead of first searching the internet for advice. Yes, a square bottom tote bag sounds incredibly easy, so I blithely sketched out a pattern.

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Unfortunately, it turns out that sewing together a square corner with multiple pieces of fabric sucks. There's also the small problem of my complete lack of ability to mentally picture how large something is going to be. Turns out 18 wide x 15 tall x 8 deep is absolutely massive - more suited to a beach tote. Sigh. I showed the results to my mom and the first thing she said was "You should have done gussets," which meant nothing to me.

So I ended up doing what I should have done in the first place. I googled it, and found an amazing tutorial online (here!) that is about a million times simpler than my attempt.

Result - a perfect little bag to carry a change of clothes for when I go to the gym.

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I lined it with some super soft pink material from some vintage sheets.

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Lesson learned - other people are smarter than me and I should at least see what they have to say before I go haring off on my own.

13 comments:

  1. It turned out great! Love the fabric. You should give yourself credit for at least attempting it on your own. I wouldn't even know where to begin without a pattern.

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  2. Why is it that mom's always come up with solutions that make perfect sense to them and no sense at all to us? Especially when it comes to sewing...

    But it turned out beautifully in the end, nonetheless! Love the combo of funky black and white on the outside and sweet pink on the inside. Nicely done :)

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  3. wow, you are brave- and look at your outcome! how do you DO that? sigh.

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  4. that tote is wonderful! I'm loving the IKEA fabric combined with the light pink-looks great! I'm proud of you for beginning a sketch on your own :) Most people wouldn't try that!

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  5. Clap, Clap, it takes 2 to clap... and thank goodness for the internet with tons of crafty intervention. In making things complicated, often the simple becomes clearer.
    Love your bag!

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  6. oh this turned out even better than i could have imagined. the light pink is the perfect complement to the mod print and i'm sure you'll have the cutest bag at the gym!

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  7. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! The color combo is perfect and the way you laid out the pattern. OK maybe it was a little bit of a struggle, but so much more appreciative, right? Great job!

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  8. i adore the new tote!! the colors are perfect together and it looks like just the right size. ;-) your sketch is adorable, though! i'm envying your craftiness. xoxo

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  9. such a cute tote, you are very creative and talented! wish i could do something like that...

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  10. I love the end result and the reappearance of the wonderful Ikea fabric!! Sewing is a sum of experience and creativity, and you are well on your way. The combination with the pink interior is so lovely!

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  11. Fabulous. I have some leftover marimekko fabric.... You have inspired me to use it!

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  12. that is a supercute bag -- i love the fabric and the pink lining!

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