Monday, October 5, 2009

Hand: Toasty Tote

I feel like its been forever since I've posted something crafty, what with the film screenings and the traveling cross-country these days. I have, however, been crafting up a little storm in my downtime, bouncing between sewing, knitting, embroidery, and felt plushie-making.

The winner in the race to completion was my very first homemade tote bag:

Toasty Tote

I'm super-proud of this bag. I mean, bursting-at-the-seams proud. I designed it myself. I made it without a pattern. I did it with patience and without cutting corners. I made EXACTLY what I wanted: a cute chocolate brown tote with pink striped accents and lining.

It was inspired by the adorable Urban Threads patch I bought from AuntiFranni's Etsy shop. I have a "thing" for cute toast. Don't ask me why. I can't explain.

Interior of Toasty Tote

The straps. Oh those straps. They took me twice as long to complete than the body, what with the two different fabrics and interfacing and having to stitch them to the bag....grrr. Put it this way: I had to rip the stitches out more than one during the process of attaching the straps to the bag. And stabbed myself in the cuticle with the seam ripper. Not. Fun.

Mr. Toast in Toasty Tote

It was all so very worth it. I learned so much in the process of making this (including yes, it is natural to get so frustrated you feel like crying, which my Mama and her quilting friend reassured me of). The tote also held up remarkably well on my recent Midwest adventure, with being stuffed under airplane seats, rolled up and used as a neck pillow, and being crammed to near-brimming with non-knitting goods as I ran from plane to bus.

It's a solid piece of work. Maybe there's hope for me as a seamstress after all.

5 comments:

Dana said...

Wow. Awesome tote bag! Have you seen My Paper Crane before? She has lots of adorable plush toasts:

http://www.mypapercrane.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=25_26

Sherezada said...

Thank you!I am so friggin' pleased with how it came out. :)

Those toasty plushies are too cute! I think my Mr. Toast will be needing a burnt toast friend soon...

Jessamy said...

You haven't sewn until you've stabbed yourself in the cuticle with a seam ripper. Very cute tote.

Sherezada said...

I'll admit, it was a feeling I totally could have lived without. ;)

Prairie Chicken... said...

super cute :)