My favourite quilted projects are definitely bags, and I'm always trying to improve my techniques, and trying out different combinations of fabrics. I recently bought some bag wadding from my local quilt shop, and was keen to try it out on a tote bag - this was based on one of my favourite tote bag patterns, the Perfect Quilted Tote by Elizabeth Hartman. This shows the outside of the bag - I used some left over Tilda fabrics (these were left over from my Flowerville quilt that I'd finished last year), and all the quilting was done with a neutral coloured Aurifil 40wt thread. This quilt as you go method is really simple, and looks very effective. I used some denim for the top and bottom borders (recycled from an old pair of jeans)...
...on the inside, a neat facing covers the top seam keeps everything looking neat. I've added a sew-in snap fastener, as I'm not too keen on magnetic fasteners - some of them can be really strong and can tear the fabric, even if it's reinforced. And this snap fastener matches the fabric really well...
...I bought this pattern a few years ago, and I've adapted the way the pocket panel is made so the pockets are much larger, and much simpler to make than the original instructions. The lining of the bag is also very scrappy, so I could use up all the left over pieces of my fabrics! I didn't measure any of the pocket pieces, I just whatever pieces I already had. I've also added a key ring so I can clip my keys in my bag so they're easy to find when my bag is full of essential stuff...
...the bag wadding was a bit tricky to pin as it is quite structured, so I used Clover Wonderclips to hold the sides and bottom together. I made a scrappy handle too, and I'm really pleased with the finished result. Now I just need to make a small quilted pouch to go with it!
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