{caravan tote + tilly}

I have finished university for summer *yay* so i came home for a bit to just relax and unwind and do nothing except sew! I have soo many projects that i want to make, but i knew i couldn't get them all done so i focused on just a few!

one fabric line i have been crushing on is fleet and flourish by maureen cracknell, i have wanted to sew with it for ages, but there was uni deadlines and the fact that i didnt know what i wanted to make, so it has sat on my shelf patiently waiting to be cut in to!
Then my friend mentioned making a bag and *ping* yes1 i would use it to make a bag, we settled on the caravan tote by noodlehead and i got to work!

the pattern called for a solid piece of fabric, but me being me had to do something different! i did 3 inch patchwork squares and then cut it to size, and the fabrics go perfectly with essex linen in grey, which i used for the contrasting band at the top! i quilted the outside and used heavy weight interfacing to make it sturdy enough to stand on its own.

this bag has a front zippered pocket, this made me wobble a bit and want to give up! but i persevered and i beat the *dreaded* zipper (i may have given myself a pat on the back!) when making the inside of the pocket i wanted to add a fun surprise, cue a magical unicorn to peek at me :)

i got really confused making the lining for the bag and found it hard to figure out which fabrics to cut for which part, but i got there in the end! i used fabric from maureens first fabric line, wild and free (another favourite of mine) i love the fun mix of fabrics and it brightens up the bag! also look at that magnetic clasp, soo proud of that :)

i think its the extra little bits that make handmade items special! i added a little bit of extra fabric to the handles to lengthen them and also because i can and its cute :) i also added some ribbon for a little tag, to add to the handmade look! do you like the handmade look, or do you prefer items not looking handmade?

i am definetly not a bag making person, give me a quilt to make any day, but i am super happy and proud that i completed this bag (there may start being more here on the blog) i read lots of reviews before making this bag, to help me along, but i still found the pattern quite hard to understand, which may be because im not a bag maker, overall it was a great pattern and makes a good room-y sized bag, its already had a workout, going shopping in town :)

today is also tillys birthday!! she is 14 and looking as good as ever :)

rachael x

linking up to finish it up friday