My mum is a huge Laurel Burch fan, so when I needed to make her a gift for Mothering Sunday, I knew exactly what fabrics to use. I'd had these Laurel Burch "Jungle Songs" fabrics in my stash for a few years, and thought they would be perfect for this tote bag pattern "På Quiltelaup" by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa. I didn't have enough "Jungle Songs" fabric to use the same cutting instructions/ layout that the pattern suggested, so used the same fabric for lining the pockets as I was going to use for lining the tote bag...
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...rather than the quilting blending into the fabrics, I wanted it to be a feature, so used a YLI variegated turquoise/teal quilting thread. The quilting lines were marked with a Clover Hera marker. Straight rows for the bag, diagonal lines for the pockets. I used a selection of Laurel Burch scraps in contrasting colours to make the prairie points, and by coincidence this black/gold "Cherry Blossom Festival" by Andover fabrics (another one that's been in my stash for simply ages) went perfectly with the "Jungle Songs" and was just what I needed for the handles of the tote bag. ...
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...I added a narrow strap inside the bag for my mum to attach her key-ring to, and bound the top of the bag with the same fabric that I'd used for the handles. These "Wonder Clips" by clover are perfect of holding all the layers together, and you don't get stabbed with pins! The prairie points at the top of the bag are held in place with a button, and this bright purple one in my button tin was perfect!...
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...here you can see the lining of the pocket - I used the same blue/green Laurel Burch print that I used for lining the bag...
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...and here is the finished tote bag. My mum has a few Laurel Burch bags, and she certainly won't see anyone with one exactly the same as this one!
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