Happy Friday! I’m happy to say that today is the official release day for Making Magazine‘s newest issue, No.9/Simple. It couldn’t have come on a better day, it’s my daughter’s birthday! She’s 14!

For the Simple issue, I designed a beautifully simple tote that works for whatever you need. Honestly, if I had to choose one bag to always have on hand, it would be a simple tote like this. They’re quick to sew and are endlessly useful. I have a similar tote that I made myself many years ago that has been my go-to ever since! It goes with me to and from work, on car trips, and anywhere I travel when I need to stash a notebook and extra items that I don’t typically carry with me on a day-to-day basis.

I’m happy to be able to share this with you and hope you enjoy sewing it up and putting it to use.

I’d love to see what you come up with. I think the front pocket is such a gem in that it would be perfect for adding a patchwork block to the center or even doing some screen printing or cross stitching or embroidery on! I can already tell that it’s going to be a fun one for you to put your own creative spin on! Optional add-ons for this project are also a fun way of kicking things up a notch. Included in the instructions are a few fun additions. I love a good snap, so the front pocket is a perfect spot for one. And the lining can be made using a magnetic snap for the closure, although if you don’t have one on hand or won’t use it, it’s easy to leave without as well. I adore that about sewing, make it how you wish – however it suits you. And keep it as simple as you’d like, some of my favorite sewn items are the simplest.

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been looking forward to this issue for a long time! I love simple and it’s always on my mind when I think about the things I own or how I want to live my life. The magazine itself is gorgeous to flip through. Again, it’s more of a book at over 150 pages in total. For sewing projects, it has quite a few fun things to stitch! I’m excited about Jen Hewett‘s Screen Printed Picnic Blanket, Aneela Hoey‘s Glasses Case and Kristine Vejar‘s Everyday Utensil Roll just to name a few. Also, for garment enthusiasts the Halfmoon Strand Dress/Top looks absolutely gorgeous (design by Meghann Halfmoon). As far as the knitting goes it’s packed, too! I’m really curious about the Lomo Shawl by Bristol Ivy. The photos and colors of both of the shawl samples are gorgeous. And don’t get me started on how warm and cozy the South Turner Hat looks (design by Leila Raven). It’s so fun to be able to look at all the amazing creativity of all the contributors, it blows my mind to think about all of it!

Hope you’re having a great day. If you’d like a copy of this issue of Making magazine, I have a few copies in my shop. Stop and grab one if you feel inspired!

This pattern will be available as a stand-alone PDF in my shop on October 15th, 2020.

I’ve been having so much fun seeing what everyone has been making lately. It’s always a bright spot in my day to be able to take a peek at what you’re creating! I thought I’d share a couple of Buckthorn Totes that I made. For me, the best part of a new pattern, is when I get to sit down after the pattern is almost finalized and sew a few more samples. I don’t have to think about the tiny details, I can just pick fabrics and sew.

I had bought some of the new Egg Press (for Kokka) from Fancy Tiger Crafts and was excited when I pulled out of my canvas stack. I’ve been an Egg Press fan for quite a few years, I love letterpress and stationery and love collecting it! I’ve been better these past few years about actually using my cards, but some of my favorites like the Egg Press designs seem to be ones I can’t give up quite yet. I paired the canvas with Big Sur unbleached for the lining.

For the other tote I used Big Sur in Brown Beige for the exterior and this stripe from Fancy Tiger for the lining. Again, if you haven’t guessed yet, I’m a big fan of Big Sur canvas for bag making! I can’t recommend it enough!

Both these totes use fusible fleece on the exterior fabrics and canvas weight for the lining (no extra SF101 when using canvas as the lining).

I have one more tote sample to share and then hopefully I’ll get around to making a few more samples with some fun modifications.

Thanks for stopping by!

Pattern: Buckthorn Tote (pattern includes Backpack version as well)
Fabrics: Egg Press for Kokka (here’s a google search for shopping options)/Big Sur unbleached and Big Sur canvas in brown beige/ stripe lining

Webbing and zippers available in my shop, too!

Oh hey! So my daughter convinced me to sew up some Zippy Wallets with lanyards for her and her best friend. It was her friend’s 14th birthday and of course it fell within Stay at Home orders, so anything to cheer her up! I love how they turned out. The last time I made these for my kids was quite a few years ago and they have gotten used a lot since then!

I asked Natalie to pick out what fabric she wanted and to my surprise she picked some of my Algea print from my Driftless collection. I thought that was so sweet. We agreed that the gray trim and lanyard looked nice and would wear well, too (practical Mom stepped in, ha!). She helped press the fabrics and fuse the interfacing. I got to sew them up and honestly I could/should have let her make them. But I think I needed the relief of a small project to complete, so I jumped right in.

So if you’re looking for a small project to sew I have a ton of free tutorials. I know that during this time things are strained for many of us, so I highly encourage you to jump back through my archives and check out all the FREE! patterns/tutorials that I have done over the years. These are the Zippy Wallets and here’s the full list of bag/pouch tutorials (give the page a second or two extra to load, there’s a lot in there!).

Pattern: Zippy Wallet (with added lanyard)
Fabric: Algea (Mango and Aqua)from my Driftless fabric collection for Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Essex Yarn Dyed in Graphite for the accents
The lanyard hardware was purchased from Ning Bags.

Waxed cord for zipper pull in my shop here.

I’m currently out of the snap starter sets in my shop (my supplier isn’t shipping at this time), but I really think that these wallets are great to use with The Snap Setter tool (size 16) with size 24 adapter. I own a couple of these (I’ve had them for years!) and love that they carry a wide variety of colors and metals. I think they’re user-friendly, too.