It was my niece’s birthday last week, so I had fun picking out a fun and cute fabric combo for a Buckthorn Tote for her. She loves bags and zippered pouches so I had fun making this tote knowing that she’d be able to use it.

Fabric Funhouse had sent me a remnant of the beautiful Apricot Brandy color of their waxed canvas (it’s a beautiful peachy coral color) and I knew it would be so cute for making my niece’s gift. I found the cutest little happy suns print in my stash, it’s the Sunshine print by Alexia Marcelle Abegg. I couldn’t resist those cute faces!

I do love working with the waxed canvas for bags, it does, admittedly, take a little more patience than other materials. I find that it’s worth a bit of experimentation to see if you like it, too.  I’m really pleased with how this particular waxed canvas works with the Buckthorn Tote (and backpack – read that post here). It was a nice break from work sewing. I’ll be able to share more about at the end of July.

Also, I have a video that I recorded a few weeks back that goes over setting the oval base (applies to the Buckthorn as well as a few of my other patterns). I’ll be sharing that in the next week or two. Do you like watching videos of sewing techniques? I’m still pretty new to knitting, so I use videos a lot, but sometimes just a quick one is all I need instead of a longer format. Do you prefer a quick (less than 4 minute) video or a longer format (10 minutes plus) that goes over in something in great detail?

I hope you all have been safe and staying healthy!

Pattern: Buckthorn Tote
Fabric: Apricot Brandy Waxed Canvas from Fabric Funhouse, lining is Sunshine from Alexia Marcelle Abegg (from her Sunshine collection with Cotton + Steel fabrics) here’s a google search, it’s an older collection so it might be harder to come by

Webbing and zipper available in my shop (you’ll need 2 yards of 1″-wide webbing and one 14″ handbag zipper).

Taking action is important to me. Black lives matter. I stand for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless other Black lives that have been lost. I want to consciously take time to learn of my own biases and evaluate how I can help moving forward. I want to support Black makers and creatives. I am making a choice to stand up for what is right and I am working on acting on that. Please take time to learn from Black leaders and support Black owned businesses. Below is a small list of where you can start:

Follow along with @blkmakersmatter, this is a brand new platform which is lead by a group of Black sewists!

The Great Unlearn

Donate:
Social Justice Sewing Academy
Neighborhood Fiber Co.’s Momentum Fund
We Love Lakestreet
Justice for Breonna
George Floyd Memorial Fund
Campaign Zero
Color of Change

My plan going forward:

• make a conscious effort in sharing Black creative’s work
• make a conscious effort in asking Black creatives to pattern test (and to fairly compensated them for their time and effort)
• donate (making a monthly contribution to Social Justice Sewing Academy as well as a donation to Neighborhood Fiber Co.’s Momentum Fund is where I’ve started)
• I am working on setting up a college scholarship for my community specifically for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) who are pursuing degrees in creative and/or business related fields, will plan to keep you posted on that
• continue to educate myself and my family, talk to friends and community members and stand up for the BIPOC community

This is how I’m beginning. I wanted to share this here to let you know where I stand. I believe in human rights, I believe that Black lives matter. This is not a checklist to move through and then forget about, but a reminder for myself of what promises I want to keep. I am still learning (and unlearning) and want to continue to learn. I do apologize for not speaking out about this sooner. I want to continue to seek out ways I can improve. I am one person, but I don’t want to sit idly by and watch without taking action.

Also, please take time to read this message explaining why it’s harmful to say “All Lives Matter”.