Kate, the Carry All Tote by Moments

Kate is the latest pattern by Liz at Moments........and she's an absolute beauty.

The pattern is for a large beach tote that's an ideal size for swim gear and everything you will need for a day at the beach or pool

you can find the pattern here

http://www.craftsy.com/user/376601/pattern-store…

As always with moments patterns there's a twist in the construction, but if you've done a moments pattern before then you will know Liz's style.........

So.......for my first bag I went a little off piste! (not such a surprise for me eh?)  rather than doing her in the pieced panels that the pattern needs I decided to do her in one large panel......I decided to decorate my bag with some cutwork flowers..........

I've had a set of cutters for several years but use the same ones over and over so went a little wild with some of the unusual shapes  so if you have these....don't feel they are just for making holes for your twist locks.......lol

The bonus is you end up with a whole lot of faux leather confetti.......so if your going to a wedding soon you already have some to throw....

So here she is......my first Kate......in all her hippy glory

Fully lined in waterproof vinyl fabric with a large zippered pocket that has a slip pocket inside, so no chance of loosing your valuables on the beach.

 For my second bag I decided to go small..........and I did the pattern at 50% which creates a bag a 1/4 of the size of the original........again I did her in one single panel but added some pretty butterfly embroidery to decorate and red webbing tape

she's the perfect size to carry all our lotions for the beach and fits inside 'big' Kate perfectly.

I thought id finished making this design.....until a moment of thought hit me late one evening and I decided that maybe something half way between the little and the large might be interesting..........with that in mind I made another at 75%......

 Number three is made on embossed faux leather with a cotton lining, I added an additional slip pocket inside as well as the large zipper pocket from the original pattern and also a bridge zipper to close..........she is the perfect 'in between' size.........so that's my full set of Kate's completed.......

As always the pattern is beautifully written and has a lot of photos, lots of tips for when things are a little different. The pattern is designed for faux leather but also has instructions for cotton or home decor fabrics......

I love the slip pocket inside the zipper pocket......just a little detail but it makes perfect sense to put one in there. and the additional outer pocket that is totally hidden gives somewhere to just slip your phone......making the whole bag uber functional whilst still keeping her simple lines.

words of advice??? oh yes.......clear your sewing table of everything before you start.........because she only has one seam the panel you are working with is huge.........and when your sewing her you will knock anything that's on your table off.........take my word for it, its easier to move them than spend hours picking up......

Kate isn't a complicated sew, the real challenge is the size.......Liz's tip about rolling the panel to make it easier is definatly the way to go......

Make sure you observe the notches.....im guilty of ignoring them on previous patterns so now I'm a notch convert..........she will not go together well if you ignore them as the seam isn't where you would expect it to be.......lol

Most of all she's versatile.........easy to shrink down if you prefer a smaller version......

Have fun sewing her...........

Bag of the Month Club 2016........August......Swim Gym Bag by Mrs H

I feel like I've been unfaithful as I've been testing for another designer........its an interesting experiment since every designer does things a little differently.

So what have I been testing? The August bag for www.bagomc.com ..........never heard of it???? have a look at the website, its a fab club that up until now has run for 6 months of the year. You pay one subscription and get six patterns, one a month from Jan to June of the year..... Unseen.......so you never now what your getting. The designers are all well known so you can expect quality patterns.

"2016 is the first year they have run two clubs.....so July to December has a new set of patterns. I have been playing with August.

So what is she??? August is a Swim /Gym bag, something a little off beat....if like me the very mention of the word 'GYM' sends you to lay down in a darkened room , please don't worry, this is a bag that wont make you break out in hives or even break a sweat! She's large and functional.........and made in different fabrics from the ones you normally use for bags. The lovely Samantha of www.mrs-h.co.uk has been bold in her design, using fabrics and materials that some may find frightening, simply because they are not 'the norm'............embrace the differences ladies...........this is a fun sew with new skills to learn.

so lets start with the materials...........Cordura.....described by the manufacturers as follows

''1000 denier Cordura, Nylon, PU Coated (polyurethane coated) to be waterproof. It is very hardwearing fabric and has excellent anti abrasion properties. Whilst a heavy duty material it can still be sewn with most domestic machines.''

If you have never sewn with it before try it......its similar to sew to faux leather, but thinner.......so you can sew through more layers. I use it quite a lot and always use a long stitch length and Teflon foot...... The main thing it needs to be for the pattern is waterproof. The pattern tells you how to double turn all the seams to create a totally waterproof bag......no more wet patches down your leg or in the car when you've been swimming!! Cordura is also fantastic for embroidering, but like faux leather is better to float over the hoop and use lighter designs.

Mesh.........I have mesh in my stash but found it wasn't sturdy enough, you will need something with a little 'body' to it.......Byannies mesh from either http://emmalinebags.com/search?type=product&q=mesh or from https://www.sewhot.co.uk/?s=mesh&post_type=product works a treat and comes in an array of fantastic colours....I used white as I wanted to be able to use the same mesh on different bags.....

So.........the bag........

The bag is big enough to carry everything you'll need for a day at the beach, a trip to the pool , mesh pockets for creams and all the smaller bits you need, sunnies, flip flops iPod.............and a cavernous inside that will quite literally hold water as the seams are all sealed to prevent leakage. I managed to fit three large towels into mine with room to spare so this is a great size for me. The one thing I always struggle with at the beach is where to put my car keys and valuables......there's a clever little zippered pocket tucked away inside for those. the mesh top keeps the bag light to carry, and its comfortable to either pop on your back like a ruck sack or sling over your shoulder.........the whole thing is finished off with a drawstring  that threads through grommets on the top band........now I know some people are worried about grommets......my only advice is ......don't make your holes too big, I try and always make mine slightly smaller than the grommet I'm using......add a tiny bit of glue around the edges of the hole before fitting the grommet......I've never had one fail on me yet.

I added an embroidered panel to the front of the bag, just because I liked the idea of it.

My second bag I made for my grandson.........so he got to choose the fabrics. This one is made in cotton on the outside, I used fusible fleece and no mesh. This is at 80% and the ideal size for a child.

I used waterproof vinyl (the thick tablecloth type) to fully line the bag and used the same sealing technique on the seams to ensure the outside part stays dry. I added some straps for his shoulders rather than the rope as he's better with something that's a little thicker.....

The pattern is unusual, with the seams being front and back rather than at the sides where you might normally expect to find them and the construction and materials are different from those you might normally use, but as always with Samantha's patterns, its well written with lots of pictures to help explain what you need to do for those who don't read.......guilty as charged..........working with waterproof fabrics is something I'm fairly familiar with but for those of you who aren't......its not as hard as you think.......and I think this pattern makes a refreshing change to making bags with fabric......lol