Summer sewing Tutes that I Love!!

I blame my mom for giving me the over packing habit – however it has come in really really handy over the years (yeah you may THINK a first aid kit at the beach is an overkill – but how many times has a shell bitten you in the sand? Exactly.) So for an over packer like me, I need a beach bag that can keep up. Enter: Reanna Lily’s Beach Duffle! She has a picture of her 5 year old son INSIDE the bag!! Yes, this is defiantly one I’m going to have to tackle – and soon…just need to find some cute summer fabric. Did I mention the beach bag pattern AND instructions are available via PDF?? YOU ROCK REANNA!!

Hope you enjoyed this week of sharing. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day!!

Summer sewing Tutes that I Love!!

This week, I’m going to share some FREE summer sewing tutes that I absolutely love!! Summer should be enjoyed – rainy days are great for sewing so use those days to whip some of theses up and use them in the sunshine!

Today, I’m sharing Renske’s Minimalist Tote Bag which she designed for design*spionage. I am so exhausted of the standard 2 panel and strap tote! This is really refreshing – the pattern and tut are really easy to follow and requires only about half a yard of fabric. The pattern is available via PDF which is really handy, but not the instructions.

A few notes: For the pattern, I just copied the measurements to poster board and made my own re-usable pattern piece (yes, more totes to come hehe). The hardware installation is a little tricky – but can easily be substituted with stitches (dang rivets!). The size is not like an ordinary tote – it’s on the smaller side, but adjusting the size should not be a problem if you want as long as you remember to adjust the top flaps as well. The instructions don’t say to add pockets either, but I would take the time and add a few (oh, about half-way up the bag lining); otherwise you’ll be hunting in the bag every time you open it. There is no specified length for sewing the corners – I did a 3in stitch on mine and it’s got pretty good body.

Quick to sew up, and very simple, a in couple hours you’ve got an awesome and very un-ordinary tote. Niftiest thing about the tote – the bag closes … on its own! How awesome?! Lift the handles and the two flaps “close” the bag. So very charming and so chic. Perfect companion for quick summer adventures.