Hapai Tote

 This is a largish tote that I sewed this weekend. Santa was pretty good to me this year - this Hapai Tote was offered as a kit from CloBird Designs. It arrived in January and didn't sit around too long.

It's designed by Jessica Curzan of SewDaKine in Hawaii. This is who I order my cork fabric from.

For this tote kit, I opened it up and was rather dismayed to find it was all taupe. The cork, the lining, the main fabric were all shades of nothingness. I almost started sewing it with the burgundy thread in my sewing machine but decided to sew it as a normal person who never deviates and always has matching thread in the sewing machine. (It was screamin'difficult for only ten minutes)

 I liked how Jessica designed this. She also runs  a Production Sewing group on Facebook. Keep the shapes simple, cut multiples at a time, sew each section, then move on to the next. Already things I'm interested in. Jessica puts it out there in a fun, productive way. She is earning a living (plus) sewing bags. A goal to emulate.

 Once I was finished, it was still beige, and the rainy day was so not helping on the camera lighting.  I added a Hawaiian zipper charm and then hung it up to ignore for a couple of hours.
 
 I decided it needed a giant tassel.
 
I still have Kyle's turquoise tassel that she sent me. It was the right size but not quite right, color wise. I rummaged around and found a burgundy vinyl and quickly made a tassel that *helps*.

I love how the pattern designer added a recessed zipper to this bag. It keeps things from toppling out. This bag is made with firmer materials like cork and canvas but it still likes to collapse a bit.

Her directions are for the intermediate sewist. There were a couple of directions that a beginner would need help deciphering.

It's big enough to throw a couple of beach towels in. It's also washable. Yes, that cork is washable. It's a renewable resource, backed onto a stabilizer fabric. It doesn't fray, making this easy to execute.

I'm still staring at it and knowing it will pop over to the etsy shop to be sold to someone who appreciates it more.

It's way too big for  me. Perfect for a beach tote - size wise - but the colors don't make me happy. I might do some more work on it - maybe some hand-stitching in a burgundy color to match the tassel.

Sewing Hooky

 I get easily distracted.  

I am supposed to be sewing some work shorts and a top that was personally fitted to my body. Instead, I am playing sewing hooky.
aka *avoidance* and *procrastination*
.

 My inspiration was an airplane tote on Etsy.

At this shop.

Man - I have this fabric!

Her tote has external pockets, mine has internal pockets.

My airplane tote is going into the etsy shop. I am overwhelmed at her pricing. $38 for a tote.
I have the most difficult time finding the magic price point. Some things I make are above and beyond and pretty spectacular.  I don't struggle as much pricing those items.

I'm very aware of how much time I spend sewing as well as my material cost.
What I struggle with are the okay (basic to me)  items - $38 for a tote bag???

Would you pay $38 for a tote?

It does have a pretty nifty single welt pocket....

 I watched a Peggy Sager's video on Saturday - a Silhouette Patterns webinar on sewing pants. She went over a single welt pocket and I had to have a go at one.

It's almost like putting a zipper pocket in, but not quite.

Here's the inside double pocket on the other side. I love this stripe lining.
I left the selvedge edge at the bottom (No hemming - lazy me)

 I settled down today and started sewing the work shorts. Three sets of pockets and lots and lots of top-stitching. A butt-load of top-stitching!   Before I ran out of bobbin thread,  I finished the fronts and started on the side pockets. 

The side pockets have flaps with a buttonhole. That's where I'm at. I need to re-thread the bobbin and get back into the sewing room. I have the fan going because we are back up at 100 degrees (with a tiny respite earlier this week --- teaser rain and mid-seventies).

I am bribing myself with one chocolate chip per top-stitched seam. Seams (ha!) to be working.