Indigo Shibori Super Tote

I have really been enjoying taking a bunch of fabric dyeing classes this year. Recently I dyed a linen table runner with (pre-reduced) indigo using shibori. It became the main fabric used in my new Super Tote by Anna Graham (whom I met at Quilt Market in Minneapolis in May!). Until now I had only made her Open Wide Zippered Pouch (see here and here), but I always wanted to use more of her patterns... have you seen her new book yet?

I love how my Super Tote turned out!

The straps are chambray otherwise all of the fabrics I dyed in classes that I took this year.

The linen table runner was approximately 17 inches by 63 inches and it was just enough for the main pieces of the tote. Only a couple of narrow strips of fabric remain from it. At the class I also dyed a couple of skirts, here you can see the result of a white Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt that I wrapped with six rubber bands.

This light blue chambray skirt is an Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt with hem tucks that I sewed over the summer. I think it was only the second time my daughter was wearing it that she got red popsicle stains on it.

So I threw the skirt into the indigo vat and this is how it turned out!

I loved how the skirts came out, so much so that I decided to take them apart and use the fabrics for my tote. I can always sew more skirts for my girl. I love the effect of the hem tucks and decided they would make great visual interest for the sides of the tote.

Here is the before of the white Lazy Days Skirt. I made it over a year ago, one of those last minute projects. It was for an angel costume and got worn a few times, but it served it's purpose and I found it to be quite boring. So into the indigo vat it went to add some pizzazz.

Once the white skirt was wrapped with six rubber bands and dyed, this is how it looked after I disassembled it. Most of the lining of my tote came from this fabric.

So there you have it! A tote full of memories of my sewing and fabric dyeing adventures.

Project details
Pattern: Super Tote
Fabrics: A bunch of fabrics (linen, cotton, chambray) I had fun dyeing in classes I took this year, the straps are chambray

I also recently made the Liesl + Co. Woodland Stroll Cape that I'm wearing, you can read more about it on the Oliver + S blog.

Buttercup Bag

 I desperately needed a new purse, so one afternoon this past week I whipped up a Buttercup Bag (free sewing pattern). The outer fabric is dark blue chambray and the lining is gray polka dot. The one small change I did make was I made the inside pocket a little bigger. After using my new purse for the first time later that same day, I realized that I sewed the shoulder strap wrong! You are suppose to fold the shoulder strap in half lengthwise. So my strap turned out super short, but in the end I really like it because I'm petite and I really like things small and nice and snug. The Buttercup Bag is my favorite size and shape for a purse. And what a bonus that all you need is a fat quarter for the outer fabric and less than that for the lining!