Monday, May 14, 2012

Been busy & a New Tote...

Oh man. Life can be a whirlwind sometimes. This month I've traveled to three different states, at three different times, to see different family members! It's been wonderful, but tomorrow I arrive home from the last trip and it will be good to be home for awhile. First there was my son's graduation in Utah, then a trip to help my daughter-in-law recover from surgery in Tennessee, and last a quick Mother's Day trip to visit my mom in California.


Last week I was only home for a few days before we flew to California. I anticipated getting some last-minute sewing done for Mother's Day in the few days I was home. It's always a challenge trying to come up with something for my mother for Mother's Day. What do you do when a person has it all, and you want to give her something heartfelt for Mother's Day? You listen very carefully. Several weeks ago my mother told me that an ordinance was passed in her town recently that all grocery, pharmacy, and retail stores will no longer be able to provide plastic carryout bags at checkout for their customers. {Geesh!} My mother mentioned that because of this ordinance, she had been using one of the purses I gave her as a bag for the items she buys in retail stores. That got me thinking...


The bag I had previously made her was more purse than bag, so I decided to make her a tote to accompany her on her shopping trips. I didn't want something too heavy or too big for her to lug around, so I made it small enough (13" x 9" x 4")  for her to carry comfortably on her shoulder and deep enough for her to stash all her store-bought treasures. I lined it, reinforced it with fusible fleece to make it nice and sturdy, and put a fabric covered foam board piece in the bottom for support.


I especially like the twirly ribbon and fabric flower adornment on this bag. It adds just the right amount of bling for a practical bag like this.


On another note -- In the coming week I hope to publish a tutorial for my new ruffled Kindle case. Thanks to all who commented that they might like that tutorial. It's nice to know ahead of time that it might be well received!