126. Sketch for Tote Bag

Sketch of a pattern for a tote bag being constructed in

100% cotton (three different patterns)

Hi all, this is a sketch of what I've been up to for the past few days. For years, I've had a small tote/'sketching bag' which I take to the London galleries. I typically pack a large and a small sketchbook, some Coloursoft pencils, a small tin of water-soluble pencils, some fineliner pens, a brush-pen, a couple of erasers, a hairbrush and a packet of tissues. It all fits but it's a proper job to get everything back in quickly at the end of a session! So, I've decided to make a larger bag.

I looked on the net, found a typical tote bag pattern and decided to scale it up slightly. I've completely hand stitched it - the pocket is higher up. (I've just noticed an error in my written dimensions; can you arithmeticians see it??)

This is bringing back great memories of hand-stitching, hemming, etc, with my Mum who made everything from coats to ball gowns to hot pants (using a sewing machine, of course!) When I was little, I'd often go up to bed and there'd be beautiful fabrics laying on the floor and in the morning, magically, there'd be some fabulous garment on her tailor's dummy. She even once made a Russian-style hat from the off-cut left over from shortening a woman's fur coat. I'll never forget the owner's delight! (If you're interested, when the bag is finished, I'll post of photo.)