Toots Totes
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I must have flowers, always, and always.(Claude Monet)

21/1/2019

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Having made the decision to give my bag shapes flowery names, I've had great fun and some head scratching to come up with the following. (Hover over or click picture to see caption) Hopefully it will make it easier for you when choosing a shape to give me the name, so that there's no confusion about which is which! We'll see! By the way if the shape isn't quite right we can always tweak it to get exactly what you want-just ask!
"Bouquet"-central magnetic fastener-13 inches tall and 14 inches across the top.
"Jasmine"-zip topped bag-16 inches wide and 12 inches to tallest point
"Tansy" Tote-no fastening-size of your choice.
"Buttercup" - magnetic flap fastening-multi-pur-purse
"Violet" sari ribbon knitted bag-loop and button fastening-11 inches wide and 8 inches tall
"Daisy" backpack - zip under flap and magnetic flap fastening-size of your choice
"Clover" clutch-magnetic flap fastener-11 inches wide and 6 inches tall
"Poppy" crossbody bag-zipped top-Nine inches wide and nine inches tall
"Clover" clutch with bow-magnetic flap fastener-11 inches wide and 6 inches tall
"Fleur" - button and loop-15.5 x 3 inches across the base and 11 inches at the tallest point
"Zinnia" zip purse - 9 inches wide and 6 inches tall
"Flora" child-size zip top backpack 10 inches wide and 13 inches tall
" Petal" baby change bag with mat-approx 18 inches wide and 14 inches tall
"Marigold" messenger-magnetic flap fastening-8.5 inches wide and 10 inches tall or to your own specification.
"Nigella" knitted bag-central magnetic fastener- approx 9 inches wide and 8 inches tall
"Posy" snap frame purse-approx 13 inches wide and 7 inches tall
"Blossom" - button and loop fastening-approx 15 inches at widest point and 11 inches at tallest point
"Rosa" Tote - no fastener- 14 inches wide, 3 inches deep and 10 inches tall
"Lupin" Laptop bag has a central dividing zipped pocket and two open pockets, zipped top and leather handles. It measures 17' across base and 12" high.
"Larkspur" zip round padded laptop sleeve, you choose dimensions to fit your laptop!
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Lulu's first modelling job for Toots Totes

20/1/2019

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When we produce so much waste per household, it's very satisfying to re-purpose clothes that you've loved and worn to death! I currently have a pile of T shirts collected over the last couple of years that I intend to turn into a rag rug.
A while back, I carefully unpicked the pocket section from a pair of jeans and have finally got round to making myself a little denim bag. As I usually get the cast-offs from failed bag attempts, making one especially for me feels like a luxury!
I made it to the same sort of shape, but narrower than, my little "Clover" clutch, with magnetic fasteners either side so the bag opens up to find stuff and looks neat when closed. I already had a Liberty print that made a vibrant lining and I attached an adjustable blue leather strap to a ring each side so that I can wear it as a cross body bag.
It was Lulu's first modelling job for me and she received a few compliments on Instagram! She's very modest and said it was just the bag that caught everyone's attention! I'd like to think so!
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It's all about the baize (well, cotton actually!)

13/1/2019

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In case you hadn't noticed, this month I've added another page to my website, called 'Fabrics'. It's jam packed with beautiful pictures of all types of fabric in both vintage and contemporary designs. Now anyone who is thinking about having a bespoke bag made to their own unique specification can get some idea as to what type of fabric designs are available. Needless to say-there's plenty more where they came from-so don't be put off if nothing takes your fancy from that array-I can soon source some more options for you to choose from. Just give me some idea of colour/ type of design - as traditional or as wacky as you you like! Just complete the form on the Bespoke Contact page to let me know what you're thinking.
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Sorting fabrics in the Sewing Room
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A rose by any other name would smell as sweet!

4/1/2019

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I've never been happy with how my bags are named-I tried to start them all with 'B', Belle, Boxy, Big (!), but that didn't really work for all of them. So some have funky titles like 'Beaujangle' and others just a descriptive phrase like 'silk framed purse'. I wondered whether if I gave them all a floraI related name it might make a perceptual difference?
A  straw poll on Instagram and Facebook seemed a good idea, to see what my friends and followers thought. Instagram showed 69% in favour of a floral themed change and FB was 66% in favour. Lots of folk on Insta didn't vote and who knows who didn't like to say no on either platform..!
A very respected fellow maker, Pauline Greuell, based in the Netherlands (click on her name in this paragraph to check out her unusual and beautiful products on Etsy) messaged me to say that she thought it would make the bags more difficult to find with an online search and of course she's totally right! It makes sense to use both the new name and the old to cover both the prettying effect and the practical side.
Please meet 'Posy' Silk Frame Purse, 'Poppy' Cross Body Bag, 'Fleur' handbag with leather handles and 'Clover' clutch bag. After all, as Juliet declared: 'a rose with any other name would smell as sweet'!
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    Author

    Hello, I'm Ruth Overton. My nickname as a child was 'Ruthie Toots' which is how the name 
    Toots Totes'
    came about!
    I come from a family of artists and artisans and the creative gene has resulted in a desire to make stuff. There's nothing I love more, than to sit at my old treadle  machine, sewing. It was handed down to me, through the family having been bought by my Grandad for Grandma in the 1930's. (See my blogs about the machine here.)
    More recently I have turned my attention to designing and creating bags and 'Toots Totes' began. 
    I'm going to blog about how ideas for bags come about and how things happen in the sewing room, so join me there if you want to, or bypass this to go to the Shop or the gallery, if you prefer - I won't mind!

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