Category: Here's One I Made Earlier

Sunflowers - a symbol of hope and solidarity.

12/3/2022

I am making pretty little sunflower purses, measuring 9x6 inches, with a contrast cotton lining, zip and beaded zip pull. These are £9.50, £5 of which will go to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal. (The rest just covers costs and my labour is free!) Please contact me HERE to order yours. Together we can make a small contribution towards helping the people of Ukraine in their hour of need. Thank you.

PLEASE NOTE: Lining and zip and bead colours may differ but the outer will always be in the sunflower fabric.

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Wicker Work...finished!

2/3/2022

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Remember how forlorn the little wicker bag looked a few posts back? So here we have it washed and brushed up, cleaner but still with that lovely aged patina. I found a way to attach a new leather strap (the old strap was beyond redemption) so no more turning upside down! I tacked the pretty lining with an elasticated pocket inside. Wielding a hammer in such a small space proved tricky, and I bent as many tacks as I used! It was a satisfying task, to make it lovely and useable once again. What do you think?

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Wicker Work...Part Three

28/2/2022

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I've made a little boat out of cotton fabric-well that's what it looks like! It has an elasticated pocket one side and a little bit of wadding between the layers. I decided to use tacks to fix it into the bag rather than attempt to sew through the slats. It was fiddly trying to place the tacks and keep them upright and then hit them with the hammer (Not my forte!)

A little cotton boat with a pocket.

I used vintage style tacks to echo the tacks on the side of the bag.

Lining tacked in place

Just the lid to do now, plus solving the little problem of how to attach some loops for the new handle to clip on to. Please come back for Part Four!

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Wicker Work...Part Two

23/2/2022

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Firstly I took it into the garden and removed as much dust as I could with a stiff clothes brush. It then had a gentle wash with an old washing up brush. I let it dry then carried out a second wash. It certainly looks brighter, but its difficult to clean between the individual canes. I decided that would do, as a certain amount of patina is expected on vintage items.

I then tackled the brittle leather strap, applying first a neutral then a brown polish. It has become more pliable, but I think would still eventually break with use, so I'll ditch that and use a shiny new adjustable cross body brown leather strap instead!

I then made some paper patterns for the lining, which will be double sided so that I can sandwich a thin layer of wadding between the two sides and it won't show from the outside. Come back later to see what's next!

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Wicker Work...

16/2/2022

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I've bought a cute but old, tired, dusty, dirty little wicker handbag with a crusty, hard, inflexible leather strap that looks as though it may have once had a buckle and has been attached in a Heath Robinson way to the base so when you hold it the bag tips upside down! K. Oliver used to own it (whoever she may be) as she written her name on it three times! The bag is more or less structurally sound, but just needs some Toots Totes magic. I intend to transform it into something lovely and useful once more.

It has potential, but needs some Toots Totes magic!

Look at the dust on that!

Heath Robinson attachment with now rusty wire.

A crispy leather strap holding on for dear life.

K Oliver woz here.

First job is to start dismantling. Luckily the lid is easily removable and I remove the decorative cane on one side, where it remains, so it matches the other side and the the strap is easier to take off without damaging it. Before cleaning I need to try and stabilise any damage with wood glue. Luckily it's mostly intact.

The lid is easy to remove.

The leather strap is carefully untangled from the side and tiny pins removed. Wood glue is then applied. Hooray for clothes pegs!

Come back later to follow the process and the progress!

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What? Feb already?

31/1/2022

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January is often a bleak and non-productive month for makers, after the Christmas rush!
I'm happy to say my lovely clients have kept me quite busy, providing ready made and bespoke items. I've also had a sale on Etsy and MyFlair, which always drums up some interest!

Popular pink sampler fabric purse.

Emma Bridgewater Hellebore fabric purse.

The Year Ahead Now I'm looking ahead to the coming year, hoping to attend a few more fairs. I have just applied to the Braintree Textile Fair, hoping I may secure a pitch there. It's a great event and back in full force after a couple of years when events were difficult to arrange due to the unmentionable! Click on the link HERE to find out more about this year's event.

Vintage sewing pattern made with preloved fabric

Refurbished with a vibrant Marimekko fabric.

Sustainability And then there's my vow to be more sustainable. I already use eco-friendly wrapping, that can be recycled or reused, now I am looking to find some more sustainable ways of creating items. I have in the past, used preloved fabrics and woollens, so there will be a bit more of that, certainly.
Refurbishment I am also offering a free refurbishing service for Toots Totes bags you may have bought from me in the past that need a new zip or lining to make them last longer rather than you buying new. My bags are made to last with the best fabrics and threads and strong construction methods, so they'll stand up to that challenge!
Furthermore I intend to find sad and unloved wicker handbags to clean and refurbish giving them a new life. Watch this space!

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Violet and Nigella...

15/7/2021

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I wanted to make something different so looked out the sari ribbons that I'd had waiting for a special project. These are a bi-product of sari making, the silk being torn into strips and knotted together into a continuous yarn for crafters like me to use! I found my fattest knitting needles and soon had an interesting looking rectangle to fashion into a 'Violet' bag. I decided to pull all the knots to the right side for additional texture and to use a pink dupion silk as a smooth lining. I topped it off with lovely purple leather handles, and a pink button and loop fastening, which makes a great fusion of totally boho and cute chic, I think.

Whilst I'd been routing around for sari ribbons I came across another ball of soft woolly yarn, just enough to make a little 'Nigella' pocket bag. I lined it with a vibrant cotton and added a lovely red leather cross body strap and a magnetic fastener. A vintage button in just the right colours tops it off and It has Just enough room for a phone, bank card and keys (and the necessities for a dog walk if you like!!)

Knitted 'Nigella' cross body pocket.

Vibrant cotton lining.

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No excuses...

15/7/2021

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I make no excuses for not having visited this page for so long, but I thought it about time I gave a quick update and show you what I've made since the beginning of the year.
Two lovely ladies sadly left the team that I used to work with, however I was delighted and honoured to be asked to make a part of their leaving gifts.

Zip top 'Rosa' in William Morris Chrysanthemum fabric with leather handles.

I made an additional little purse and mask as my part of the gift

Both were made to the same pattern - my 'Rosa' design, but look what a difference the choice of fabric makes! This design has become a favourite to make and receive it seems! Let me know if you'd like one in your own choice of fabric.

Stylish 'Rosa' in Skinny laminx Flowerfields fabric with a contrast yellow stripe the highlight the yellow flower centres

Yellow cross-hatched cotton lining continues the mid-century vibe. Two interior pockets, one zipped the other elasticated.

Having ordered more fabric from my favourite designer Heather Moore at Skinny laminx, it arrived within 4 days all the way from South Africa, and I set about turning it into yet another 'Rosa'. It makes a lovely summery bag, don't you think? Still available at £80 (inc p+p within UK) Contact me if you're interested in purchasing.

'Rosa' made in Skinny laminx Orla and Flowerfields fabrics with beautiful green leather handles.

A pink spotty cotton lining to echo the pink flower centres. Complete with cute elasticated and zipped pockets.

Beaded zip pull of course!

15 x 11 x 4 inches so plenty of room for everything!

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Oh-so-soft Nigella

10/12/2019

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I love selecting just the right bits and pieces that go to make up a bag! With this little knitted "Nigella", I had four choices for the handles. Which one would you have chosen? The verdict from Facebook and Instagram was for the coffee leather handles. I finally went for the bright red leather handles to pick out the red fleck in the wool.

Brown vegan leather shoulder strap

Red resin handles

Coffee leather handles

Red leather handles

The last pic shows the bag yet to have its lining added, but with handles sewn in place. These have a piece of fabric stitched behind each fob for extra strength.

A subtle layer of wadding adds to the already oh-so-soft woolly loveliness and a vibrant lining with two open and one zipped pocket completes the interior, and helps to shape the exterior. It fastens with a magnetic snap.

"Nigella" is available for £40 with free postage in UK. Please message me here for a postal quote to where you live. Payment via Paypal.me

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1950s Sunlover - Vintage Chic

29/11/2019

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I made hay while the sun shone during the warmer months. Once again I’m cosied up in the sewing room and can fill you in on what I‘ve been up to.

Here’s a fascinating cotton barkcloth that I was really pleased to acquire from an extensive vintage collection. The selvedge states that it is a ‘Sunlover ‘ fabric, but no other name apart from that and the seller’s label reports it to be from the fifties. The iconic design is typical of that decade with its sleek pottery lines and stylised plantlife reminiscent of Terence Conran’s design for Midwinter Potteries. It might be a Mary White textile design, but I don’t really know.

I’ve seen the same design against a bottle green and also with a black background with red and yellow, both of which work well. I love this design so much I have even framed a piece for the wall of my guest bedroom!

The remaining piece was to become a Bouquet (bucket) bag with an adjustable cross-body or shoulder strap. When I laid the fabric out on the cutting table, I found that there was some degree of foxing (little brown marks usually caused by moisture during storage) on some of the pattern. Mind you, it was 60+ years old, and had survived remarkably well! However, I couldn’t avoid it as I didn’t have enough fabric to play with. I had just enough for one side of the bag.

You can see the discolouration on the white sections.

I contacted the seller on the slim off chance she had some more and she said she’d have to search through her stash. She finally came back to me offering a small piece that was just the right length for the other side of the bag, but a little narrow. I snapped it up, knowing I would be able to adjust the bag proportions a bit to compensate.

I already had a golden yellow and white fabric to accent and frame the design and some jolly gridded yellow cotton for the lining. Adding a yellow beaded zip pull and a navy leather strap completed the picture. Talking of the picture-you can just see my reflection in the window! Doh!

A bit of vintage chic with a name to conjure up warmer days, don’t you think?
And a real one-off!
It measures approximately 13 inches across the top and 12 inches tall, so a good sized bag for days out or as a work bag.
The leather strap can be adjusted from about 24 inches to 48 inches.
Now SOLD.
£60 with free postage in UK.
I can send anywhere tho’, so please contact me here for a postal quote to where you live!

Payment via:
paypal.me/tootstotes

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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 store or the gallery, if you prefer - I won't mind!

Sunflowers - a symbol of hope and solidarity.

Wicker Work...finished!

Wicker Work...Part Three

Wicker Work...Part Two

Wicker Work...

What? Feb already?

Violet and Nigella...

No excuses...

Oh-so-soft Nigella

1950s Sunlover - Vintage Chic

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