the everyday tote

The everyday tote from Weekend Sewing, had been on my project list for a very long while.  But the other night I had a sudden inclination to make one (late at night of course), with a vintage fabric I'd had set aside for it.

The fabric I chose is a very vivid woven print I had picked up in my op shop travels. My untrained eye is guessing it may be bark cloth. Can anyone more experienced shed a little light on this?

The project (mostly) came together well. It was quick to cut out and the main bag and lining were a breeze to sew up.

I say "mostly" because I did have a few issues with the binding. I would not line the binding next time, only the handles, as it created far too much bulk which made it extremely tricky to sew. The finished result was far from satisfactory, so it was all unpicked and I sewed the binding onto the lining by hand. Due to the bulk you can still see it, but it is far neater than before.

An inner pocket was sewn into the lining and space made for the mobile. Knowing what works now I do believe I could make this up in one session, as it was it took two nights.

As the name suggests it does fit everything in it and will no doubt be handy for a combined hand/nappy bag or to pop knitting or groceries into.

With all this sewing going on here lately you may be led to believe that I've had plenty of time on my hands. Unfortunately this hasn't been the case. At all. Violet is not a happy baby while sick, and that, combined with the general household chaos, and hubby working longer hours this week, has made for a very trying week. Sewing has been my sense of calm in the storm. I am not sure if it is the creativity or the distraction. Perhaps both. But it is surely helping me get through, what is otherwise, a difficult week.