Toots Totes
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Closely followed by...

31/10/2014

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...the tulip bag!
The leather handles complement the smart style of this medium sized handbag and a vintage button (dark purple in the daylight) finishes it perfectly.
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And the winner is...

24/10/2014

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Ladies Apartments finished first. This is a favourite fabric I sourced directly from Japan. The purple spot side panels help to pick out some of the lovely detail in the apartment rooms. 
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Two on the go...

18/10/2014

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I started the tulip bag, then found a piece of the ladies' apartments fabric, decided it was just big enough to make a bag, and had to start that as well...which will be finished first?
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Holey old - wholly new! (or how to make a bag from an old jumper.)

9/10/2014

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My Uncle John wears lovely 100% woollen jumpers.
He wears them right out, if you know what I mean, until they're totally past it, and then Auntie Dot gives them to me. Here's one he wore earlier!  I chucked it into the washing machine on a hot wash to felt it, sewing up the moth holes first! It shrunk to about a 26 inch chest size.
Skip to the end to see what became of it, if you're not interested in all the details that follow. I quite understand!

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Nicely felted and an ideal starting point for a bag! I started to manipulate the felt. First question: could I make the sleeves into a handle without detaching them?
I needed to get rid of some of the excess fabric to have more of an idea as to whether it would work.

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First I cut off the shoulders and V neck to see what I had to play with.
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Trouble is: sleeves are supposed to go sideways not upwards so it's bit awkward, but it should ease in ok.
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Ok, so which lining to use?
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Then I straightened up and reduced the width of the sleeves.
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Tucked the corners in to see how this shape looks. Looking more like a bag now. But those moth-holes are bothering me-although they are no longer holes, as having sewn them up the felting process has knitted the edges together. I must have made the stitching too tight as I'm left with bobbly bits. Will have to conceal them with a front pocket!
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Then I found this orangey-red button and it was a no-brainer!
I then got to thinking about the interesting shape the V Neck and shoulder piece was. Maybe if I snipped through the V it would make a funky front pocket? I pinned it on...
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Just the job! And I rolled over the top of the bag which tidied the edge and continued the roll to the sleeves turning them inside out, to shape the handle.
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A blanket stitch or two later! (Bargain embroidery thread: 8 skeins for £2 at a bootsale!) And I added a double layer button hole flap (cut from the remaining sleeve pieces).
So I had the bare bones. Next question: Could I stitch it together on the trusty treadle and line it to make it look like a proper bag?!
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First I machined the cuffs together to make a continuous handle. Then I attached the button hole flap. Off centre. Unpicked it. Re-sewed it. Spot on!!
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I reinforced the handle join with a non-stretchy fabric to prevent it from stretching and popping the seam stitching. (This will be inside the finished handle so won't show.)
Now to that fiddly handle. I pinned the rolled edges together and machined along, leaving a gap at each side for the fabric to settle in its own way! It actually worked out fine!
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Edges pinned before sewing
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Next I stitched across the corners and base and cut off the excess.
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Showing side gap.
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I hand-stitched some wadding to the wrong side. (this usually goes on first before you assemble a bag, but the whole process was all a bit back to front)
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Now it looks more 3D! I ended up making another smaller buttonhole and adding a flower button to the top of the pocket-this stopped it from gaping!
I then turned my attention back to the handle as it still wasn't quite right-I steamed it flat and machined down each side. Now it sits sensibly. Phew-this bag evolved - it made itself. Me and the trusty treadle just gave it a helping hand! It's a bit asymmetrical but that adds to the character! These pics are more true to colour. 
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I finally added the lining with two open pockets and a zipped pocket, finished with a beaded zip pull. It'll now go back to it's original owner-although I don't think Uncle John will appreciate it, but Aunty Dot might!

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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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