Forest Floor Tote

Hmmm.... guess I haven't blogged since July!  I didn't mean to be gone for so long, but now I have lots to share.  First up is this awesome paper pieced pattern by the super talented Nicole at Lillyella.  This pattern is now available!

As soon as I saw her sample, I knew I wanted to make one!  Specifically, I wanted to make something for Sean to go in his woodland room.  When I started making the block I wasn't entirely sure what that would be - the kid has plenty of pillows and artwork for the walls.  What he did need was a tote for going to the library.  His brothers have them, but I had not yet made one for him.  I thought it would be pretty cute hanging on a hook in his room, too.

As you can see, this pattern is made up of a few pieces, so it is appropriately labeled "intermediate,"  but I think that even if you have not yet tackled paper piecing, Nicole's pattern is so well written you could get through it with a little determination!  

I added a little applique at the bottom to make it look more natural and to add some interest (all those solids are so unlike me!).  I stole this idea from Tiffany, who was also pattern testing! The fabric is from Heather Ross' newest Tiger Lily line.

For the other side of the tote, I used that Books for Baby block pattern from Ayumi's Patchwork, Please! book.  I thought it was fitting for a library tote.

To make this tote, I used my Tote Bag 101 tutorial.  I added borders to size the blocks up to 12.5" wide by 13" tall, added some batting and did just a little quilting.

To make a little closure I simply used a hair elastic (basted on before I sewed the exterior and lining together) and a covered button.

I think the recipient even likes it (once he was reassured that the lining was not his blanket cut up as he first thought upon seeing it).  Now, we have to put it to use at the library tomorrow!

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll be back with some more posts very soon.  Thanks for reading!