The Perfect Bag: A Rifle Paper Co. Super Tote

Over the past month or so I've been working on the world's most beautiful, perfect Super Tote (a pattern by Noodlehead). I say it is the most beautiful because the main fabric is by one of my hands-down favorite designers, Rifle Paper Co.

They are primarily known for their stationary, but they've been branching out the last few years to put their patterns on a variety of things. Most recently, they launched a line of fabric with Cotton + Steel, and I basically lost my mind over it. It's so very very beautiful.

Even the selvedges are beautiful!

I own one other RPC collaboration... a dress from Paper Crown (of Lauren Conrad fame). Here I am wearing it while feeding a newborn calf... as one does.

Farming attire?

So when the fabirc came out, I was all, "AWESOME! Now I can have an entire CLOSET full of floral magicalness without completely busting my wallet!" So I started with a bag. This is my second Super Tote. I made the first with some of my block printed fabric.

Now a diaper bag.

Making the second one was great because I got to make several adjustments to things I didn't love about the first. For example, I ditched the recessed zipper (always gets in my way). I fully lined the exterior pocket plus added a Velcro closure (so that it doesn't gape open and when it does it looks fabulous). I also segmented the interior pocket into two... something I neglected in the first bag for some reason.

Finally, the straps are a bit shorter, but that was my fault because I used linen I already had... and of course didn't actually measure to make sure I had enough. But, whatever, it works.

Out of sequence, in progress short... look at those short handles.

So I can't finish this post without talking about that lining fabric. When I got the  Rifle Paper Co. fabric, I thought about using some leftover cotton for the lining... but they just didn't match and I wanted this bag to BE PERFECT. I ran to G Street Fabrics to grab something new, and I was in a hurry... I wanted to take it up a notch, so I grabbed fuchsia linen that looked amazing (of course not really looking at the price tag).

As the lady was cutting it for me, she asked what I was making... a nice blouse or skirt? "Nope, it's for a bag," I said proudly, showing her my swatch of the floral. "A BAG?!" she said incredulously. "And this is going INSIDE the BAG??? THIS is FINE ITALIAN LINEN (dummy)." (I added that subtext). "Um, a really nice bag?" I tried.

Oooooo, luxury.

So yeah, here's my fabulous bag, with the disproportionately expensive lining. I think it totally makes it ;o)

ZZZzzzippp! Block printed sewing projects

One side effect of doing all this block printing is creating a bunch of fabric... and that fabric has been screaming to be used. I have an over abundance of fabric already so I needed some quick projects.

I started with a little zipper pouch because there's no such thing as having too many zipper pouches. Ammirite?! I used another scrap for the inside. 

Next I took on something just a liiiiiitle more (or a lot more) ambitious... Noodlehead's Super Tote.

I printed this fabric specifically for this project and it took about two hours-ish to do. So much rolling. You can also see the lovely necklace holding frame Kevin made me for my birthday :o) Another pic of the bag:

The bag has an exterior pocket, recessed zipper and a nice elastic pocket (not picture cause I just couldn't get a good angle). It's such a great pattern and I took the bag to Charlottesville this weekend... this bag is huge! It fit a ton of stuff for the weekend.

Anyways, more fabric and projects to come!

Feeling Sew Sassy

Over the holidays, I was bit by a sewing bug so here are a few projects I worked on. Eat your heart out Martha.

Most recently I made this new "Scoop Tote" bag. I got the pattern from a Kickstarter project for Alexia at Green Bee Sewing. I'm a HUGE sucker for cratfy Kickstarters. I was very excited about the pattern and the bag turned out really cute and really huge. I got the online fabric from Hawthorne Threads.

Overall, the pattern was very easy to follow, even for a novice like me. Lesson learned though... don't use contrasting thread if, like me, you have difficulty sewing in a straight line. Oops. I was mainly just too lazy to change out my thread from a different project. #lazysewing.

Another project that I've been planning to do for a long time was this freaking adorable dog coat that I saw in my Martha Encyclopedia of Sewing. I got a Living Social coupon from my favorite local fabric strore, G Street Fabrics, which is handily/dangerously located extremely close to our new house.

I bought some Herringbone wool and its lined with a warm, fuzzy pink fleece. You may not be able to tell by the expression on her face... but Bailey LOVES it. Like me, she always seems cold. No, I'm not projecting AT ALL.

Lastly and least excitingly, I made a Christmas tree skirt for our tree. It's super basic so I didn't use a pattern. I just used some rough linen that I had and cut it in a big circle using my nifty, high school geometry skillz. In my ADD-ish ways I hemmed the basic skirt, slapped it on the tree and called it done-ish.

My thinking is that each year I will add some kind of embellishement until it looks like a well-loved, super-spazzy heirloom tree skirt.

What should I make next? I'm (very slowly) still working on a wonky patchwork quilt of fabrics left over from the wedding but I tend to like projects that take less than a weekend. Suggestions welcomed!