Noodlehead Poolside Tote

It was about -40 degrees Celsius when Anna of Noodlehead asked if I wanted to pattern test her new Poolside Tote.  It felt so good to work on a piece of summer in the midst of our epic winter this year.  And it was just the slice of happy I needed! And The Middle Child agrees ;)

A wonderfully large tote designed for toting all those towels, magazines and flip flops to the pool or beach.  The pattern is well written with tons of diagrams and photos for all of the steps- very comprehensive, though I would expect no less from a Noodlehead pattern!  Anna made this pattern as part of the Bag of the Month Club, so it is available there exclusively until July, when she will also release it on her own site.

The pattern comes with directions for a slip pocket or a zippered pocket.  I decided to add both.  The zippered pocket is perfect for keeping little things like keys, wallets and phones secure.  I was so excited to put these adorable hexie flowers to use on the front that were a gift from my wonderfully talented friend Svetlana of Sotak Handmade- aren't they perfectly cheerful here alongside this colourful zipper? I added a bit of hand stitching, too.

On the other side I did the slip pocket option using a fun camping print. As you can see, it is more than roomy enough for magazines, books or e-readers.

Inside, I decided to use some Little Folks laminated fabric, which will be perfect for soggy towels and bathing suits.  I was thinking I was pretty brilliant when I came up with this, I ain't gonna lie.  And as you can see, the three beach towels I have in here barely make a dent in all the space!

(a better photographer would of folded or rolled those towels neatly, 

but I just jammed them in there as I normally would on my way to the beach!)

All in all, I have to give this pattern two thumbs up. Now, just add SUMMER!!

dancing cargo duffle

I made dance totes for my kids several years ago, which I still love.  But The Middle Child has since advanced to a competitive dance troupe, and spends many hours at the studio per week.  She needed a bigger bag for all of her gear.  And a handmade dance bag was one of the only things she requested for Christmas.  Like a crafting mama needs any further prompting??

Then Anna of Noodlehead released her Cargo Duffle pattern for Robert Kaufman.  Not only is it fabulous, it is FREE (thanks, Anna!).  I NEEDED to make one, and A + B = Dance Cargo Duffle.

I modified it slightly, making it smaller in width by about 2 inches, which still provided oodles of room.  I also only did one cargo pocket as I only had a small scrap of my favourite Japanese ballerina fabric left, which I used for the pocket flap.  L-O-V-E. 

The bag is quilted in a quilt-as-you-go manner to achieve its structure.  The top half I quilted in straight lines (well, as straight as I can manage), and for the bottom portion I did a combination of freehand swirls and pebbles.  The raw sedges inside the bag are then covered with bias tape.  I had a half genius idea to cut my lining pieces a half inch larger on each side to allow fabric for fold over to cover the edges without bias tape.  I say "half genius" because if I was really smart, I would have allowed a full inch for a double fold cover….a bit of pulling and coaxing was required, but it all worked out well!

I used a variety of girly fabrics for this bag- a wee floral from Tasha Noel's Little Red Riding Hood, a bit of Aneela Hoey Cherry Christmas, some Camille and Bonnie Bliss, a Riley Blake stripe, and some Essex linen to round things out, all from my stash.  Which I have to say, only encouraged me further to justify my ridiculously out-of-control fabric hoarding….love how I had all these fabrics on hand that went together so perfectly!

I think my very favourite detail is the personalized label on the side panel, using printable fabric.  Super cute and prevents other jealous ballerinas from trying to pinch her bag ;)

All in all, I expect to have a very happy little girl dancing around the tree on Christmas morning!