Sewing

Pre-quilted Oxbow Tote

I know, it’s been slow going here on the blog. I’ve been busy not taking pictures of my final projects; even worse, I take them and then don’t even post them. I’m not sure why. I’ve been blogging since 2009 and I still really enjoy it. I guess it feels like it matters less with everything social media. So in steps this pre-quilted Oxbow Tote!

Pre-quilted Oxbow Tote

Fabric Buying Slump

I’ve also realized I haven’t been buying much fabric. Honestly, fabric inspires me to sew, so it makes sense that if I don’t have as much fabric, I sew less.

One of the reasons I like browsing fabric shops that carry more than quilting cotton is that it feels more inspiring. I know there are many fabric shops (online and brick & mortar) that carry all types of fabrics! But the ones that have lots of different garment fabrics are especially inspiring to me. I think it’s a different perspective than the quilting focus that attracts me. And I like thinking about how I can incorporate them into bag making.

Pre-quilted Oxbow Tote

So when I was sewing up samples for the Oxbow Tote I spotted this pre-quilted fabric over at StyleMaker Fabrics and promptly scooped some up! I love looking through their shop when I want to feel inspired! I had it on my cutting table and my youngest daughter liked it, so of course I made it for her! The Sea colored webbing in my shop happens to be a really great match to this fabric, and I found a great canvas print to use for the lining. I love it when projects come together like that!

Pre-quilted Oxbow Tote
Pre-quilted Oxbow Tote

I did add a more medium-weight interfacing to the canvas lining. Just to try and beef it up a bit. The pre-quilted fabric is great, but it doesn’t have a ton of structure on its own. So I ended up adding Emmaline Bags medium fusible woven interfacing on the canvas (Medium EB Fuse). And for the Reinforced Base, I used a scrap of waxed canvas and I was all set. It’s still lightweight and easy to store in her closet, so that’s a win win.

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Sewing

Another Buckthorn Tote in Riverbend

Hope you had a great weekend! I made another Buckthorn Tote in Riverbend during my sew along this past fall and haven’t shared the finished bag yet! Check out my other Buckthorn Tote in Riverbend here.

Another Buckthorn Tote in Riverbend

I recently got a new camera after having my other one for the past 9 years. Some parts of the camera were falling off and the screen had pixel fallout which was becoming more and more frustrating. So I tried grabbing a few shots of this Buckthorn Tote and then ended up having to switch back to my old camera to finish up! It’s been tough learning a whole new set up, and since then, I’ve spent little pockets of time getting to know the new camera – and am excited to keep learning!

Another Buckthorn Tote in Riverbend

Anyway, I loved being able to use my Riverbend Big Sur canvas for this tote. It was so easy to pair it with a print from my Riverbend Essex collection. Love it when things work out that way. I hope that if you are interested in sewing up a Buckthorn Backpack or Tote, you check out the full video sew-along on my YouTube channel. And check out the full sew-along blog posts here!

Another Buckthorn Tote in Riverbend

I just wrapped up the majority of the design work for my next fabric collection. I’m very excited about it and it should be released for shops to purchase in December. I’m already excited to sew up samples using it!

Lastly, I’m headed to Sewtopia Milwaukee in just a few weeks. I’m excited to see my friends and get to know the other attendees.

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Sewing

Poolside Tote in Riverbend

When I was envisioning the different Big Sur prints for my collection, I knew this Poolside Tote in Riverbend Big Sur would be such a great match!

Finding Riverbend Big Sur

I know the Big Sur collection for Riverbend is getting a little hard to find already. Not that many yards were printed, so if you check your local quilt shop and they don’t have any, you might want to do a little online research to see if you can find a shop that still has some (search “Anna Graham Riverbend Big Sur” or “Robert Kaufman Riverbend Big Sur” to start).

Making the Poolside

So anyway, this Poolside Tote was such a fun make. I love using canvas with the Poolside, but you can also use quilting cotton (and quilt it!). Here’s my own Poolside tote that I made using a quilting weight gingham fabric and quilted it before assembly. For some reason I blazed through this sample without reading my own instructions so I had some seam ripping to do, but in the end I love how it turned out!

I used Soft & Stable for the interfacing with this one. I’ve gotten so that it’s my favorite stabilizer for this pattern. Plus, I use the fusible woven on the lining pieces.

This is one of my favorite types of bags to use. I know a lot of folks love having something they can zip up, but I’m kind of the opposite! Don’t get me wrong, I loooove a good zip, but sometimes I like to just dump a bunch of things in the Poolside for an overnight trip and go. I guess it’s because we travel by car most of the time. I know that a zip top (like the Oxbow) is great for flying!

My Poolside Tote is the last project I have to share for my Riverbend (Essex & Big Sur) collections. I hope you find some inspiration in the projects I’ve shared. I love seeing what you make using my designs, it’s kind of bittersweet to wrap this up, but I do have some more yardage to play around with, so I think you’ll see a few more!

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