The Ship Shape Tote

Ship Shape Tote 1

Yep, another bag! (And I'm working on a third one right now too, so I hope you like totes.) Last month at the Sewing Summit I was super lucky to have the chance to take Alexia Abegg of Green Bee Design's class. Alexia is not only talented but also a very, very nice person and I was thrilled to be able to spend a couple hours with her, working on her Ship Shape Tote pattern.

Ship Shape Tote Pieces

We all cut our fabrics at home and I decided to use 12 different prints, rather than 2 like in the example. Each side of my tote has the same set of fabrics, but in a different order. The fabric is a mix of Anna Maria Horner's fabrics (Field Study, Good Folks, Innocent Crush), Denyse Schmidt's Chicopee, Bari J's Splendor 1920, Art Gallery Fabrics Indie and Cloud9's Nature Walk. For the lining I chose Alexander Henry's Heath in chocolate and added a bit of Cloud9's Cut Out and Keep because I didn't have enough of the crosshatch. The straps are a solid chocolate brown.

Ship Shape Tote 2

This was the first time I've sewn with such heavy weight interfacing. I really love the sturdy shape it gives the bag. (Mine's a little wrinkled right now from being shoved under an airline seat.)

Ship Shape Tote 3

The shape of the tote is great too. The slight angled look is really cool and the flat bottom really lets you put a lot in the bag. I really pushed it to it's limits when I loaded it up as my carry on on the way home from Salt Lake City.

Ship Shape Tote Bottom

I'm already thinking this will be a great pool bag for the summer. I think it will fit all our beach towels, sunscreen, pool toys and snacks and it won't tip over and let everything spill out.

Ship Shape Tote 4

For my USA friends, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! I have so much to be thankful for and I can't wait to celebrate with family. xox