May Bag of the Month - The Poolside Tote

 Well, here it is 9 AM on May 4th and I am writing a blog about my May Bag of the Month by Anna from Noodlehead that I completed last night.  I am very happy with the outcome of this bag but I am sad, too.  Since I was a tester for the June Bag of the Month from Christine at Chris W Designs, my June Bag of the Month is completed, also.  I just can't show it until June.  That means I am done with the "surprise" coming in my email on the first of every month.  For those of you that didn't participate, you still can.  Just click here.  You will receive all of the patterns that have been released and the surprise bag that is coming in June.  To see all of the current bags, scroll down my blog.  I have all of mine posted down the left column.  But, I digress as usual.  Back to the Poolside Tote...

 

This bag is a large tote that is perfect for the beach or pool.  It would be able to hold everything you need for your day of fun including towel, book, snacks, sunscreen....and more.  I added the flower and I will tell you about the tutorial for that in a minute.  I wanted a pop of fun.  Anna adds recommendations for the types of fabrics to use and the interfacing pairings to use depending on the structure you want in your bag.  I used a home dec fabric and used Pellon SF 101, a fusible woven interfacing.  My bag is substantial but could not stand up on its own...just the way I wanted to make it,  more flexible to stuff everything in it.

The back of the bag has your choice of a zippered pocket or a slip pocket.  I put in the zippered pocket.  There are directions for both.

The inside of this bag is huge.

The pattern includes a key loop with your choice of a snap hook or D ring end.  It is necessary because it may take awhile to find your keys at the bottom of this bag!  This loop was to be made from twill tape but since I didn't have any, I made it out of some of my exterior fabric.  Just cut a piece of fabric the length of the twill tape requirement (4 1/2 ") by 4x the width of your hardware.  I used a 1" snap hook so the piece I cut was 4" wide.  Just fold, press and sew as you would the strapping.

Now, back to the flower...

I wanted to put a little summer on the bag so I used a tutorial I found on Sew Ritzy Titzy.  It was just what I was looking for.  I used remnant pieces of my exterior and lining fabrics.  I glued it to an old decorative pin that I had so I can remove it later if I decide.  The flower would have been striking in a strong color like yellow or orange, too.

Now, I am mostly caught up.  Is it time to clean my sewing room/office/TV room to make it a sewing room only ????