This one is mine.

I love sewing for other people, but in my quest for the perfect bag (anyone else have a similar quest?), I could not pass up making this tote from Noodlehead made with this gorgeous fabric from Cloud 9.

First, the fabric. It is organic, which I love. Ideally, all of my purchases would be organic fabric, and my latest purchases from Hawthorne Threads were almost all organic. It is also barkcloth, which was really fun to work with, if a bit difficult on my machine. The barkcloth is soft but also seems quite rugged. It is perfect for this bag. It is also just a gorgeous design, called Timewarp from Jessica Jones.

Now, the pattern. This is the second bag I’ve made with a Noodlehead pattern. This one is the supertote. It is now my go-to bag when I am stepping out, whether with the kids, to the gym, or to teach. Anna provides great instruction. I bought my pattern as a pdf and there was not too much taping together to do, which I find an annoying step in pdf patterns.

Inside is roomy, with a pocket to hold my workout shoes. But it is not so vast that I lose things in the bottom (not anything I’ve missed yet if it’s down there, anyway).

Third, things I would change–because in the quest for the perfect bag, there is always something to change.

Next time (of course there will be a next time!), I am going to try stiffer interfacing. This time I used SF101, which is nice because it doesn’t wrinkle the way a stiffer interfacing can. However, the bag is a bit saggier than I had in mind. It’s not ugly or a problem, just not precisely what I had in mind.

I’m also going to make it a bit smaller. I do like this size, but a wee bit smaller might be even better. Maybe even perfect!

Meanwhile, I have a bag and a couple of crowns for others I need to get to! Let me know if there’s a gift I can make for a special person in your life. I love to sew with someone special in mind.

Happy spring!

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