Charming Tote Bags

On Friday I met with six ladies at Sew There! Quilts and More in Angier, NC. Our project for the morning — making tote bags from 5″ charm squares. We didn’t quite finish assembling the bags, but we worked through the prep steps and talked through the final assembly steps.

I chose a “Wild Meadow” charm pack designed by Sweetfire Road for Moda, and I made two bags with the fabric. Green Grunge serves for handles and the bag bottoms. These bags were inspired by a video tutorial by Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Company. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7i6Wrl4rZ8. When comparing the photo above with the Jenny’s bags, you will see that I modified the design by including more squares and shortening the handles. If you would like to download my instructional notes on the project, click on “Patterns” in the menu of this blog. Or click here for the direct link to “Patterns.”

Fun Story: Growing up, my youngest sister had a penchant for “pocketbooks.” If you had asked her what she most wanted for her birthday or Christmas, she’d emphatically say, “a new pocketbook.” She amassed quite a collection, one for every occasion! Now that she’s grown up, we still chuckle about her love of purses. Liz’s birthday is in April, and I’m not even going to ask what gift she would prefer. We’ll sport coordinating totes and go shopping together in style!