baby tote
pattern: baby tote, my own
difficulty (1-5): 3.5
pattern size: n/a
fabric: 1/2 yd of amy butler's lotus in cherry wall flower, cream cotton linen and kaffe fassett's light yellow cotton for lining
notions: 1/2 yd of cotton batting, 2 inch wide leather for handles, bias tape for binding, wood button, 1/2 inch wide leather for closure, buttons
the journey of making this diaper bag was such an adventure. initially i was going to use amy butler's patterns, or some japanese craft book patterns. discussions went back and forth with me and my sister. i finally decided to just make my own version of what i envision a diaper bag would be. of course, we all learned now that leather strap may be detrimental to personal sewing machines. but i do love the end result. it's a baby tote for a chic mum.
i love amy butler's bold prints. but sometimes it could be a little bit overwhelming, like vera bradley. i wanted the baby tote to look chic so i just added the print to the mid section, keeping the rest of the design minimal, and somewhat japanese (the black leather strap, wood button and bias binding solidified the look of eastern flair).
the interior was my favorite part of the bag. it had two large compartments for baby clothes or diapers. and the other side to put paci and momma's cell phones. i had so much fun making them. also, i added a layer of cotton batting in between. so the bag feels soft and plushy.
using leather was a rather impromptu decision. i was browsing at my favorite fabric store, looking for webbing, but their collection of leather was too tempting. in retrospect it probably was not a good decision, for the sake of my sewing machine. but i do love the combination of texture. anyway, this project will be the first and last with leather. and honestly i may not recommend you to try. my machine is working fine now, after a trip to the shop, but i paid too much for the repair it kind of sucks.
now the best thing, i feel, about the bag was that i would even use it. for work! it really does not look like a diaper bag. it's big, it's cute and at one point i even consider keeping it for myself. oh well, i will probably make another one. sans leather.
Comments
Beautiful bag! I would totally use it for work too! I'm glad your machine is back and in working order, too.
posted by yaiAnn on September 26, 2007 12:06 PM
lovely!
posted by sarah on September 26, 2007 12:21 PM
Baby bag or ... knitting bag! It's gorgeous.
posted by susan on September 26, 2007 12:59 PM
And.....you could probably use it for KNITTING, too! :-)
posted by rebecca on September 26, 2007 01:47 PM
Oh, how cute! You seem to really like that Amy Butler print :) I love the details on the inside of the bag.
posted by Veronique on September 26, 2007 01:58 PM
Beautiful bag! The lining sounds so pretty and I love the button - goes perfectly with the flower pattern.
posted by brooke on September 26, 2007 03:52 PM
Oh, I love it! Glad to see you friends with leather again. ;)
Sandi
posted by Sandi Henderson on September 26, 2007 04:11 PM
Beautiful bag! I love that fabric. I would definitely use it and I am past needing a nappy bag.
posted by Sarah on September 26, 2007 06:42 PM
Wow you did such an awesome job on that. I love the detail and the sewing machine killing leather straps. I want one, sans baby of course :O)
posted by Nubiancraftster on September 26, 2007 10:41 PM
It looks fantastic! Just what a diaper bag should be, without any of the bulk of store bought ones.
posted by Alison on September 27, 2007 08:04 AM
Oh that is gorgeous!! Quite possibly the best looking diaper bag I've seen yet. Wish I had something like that when I was carrying diapers :)
posted by claudine on September 27, 2007 09:51 AM
I love what you did with the print, and the darker colors of the leather and button. Totally gorgeous.
posted by pamela wynne on September 27, 2007 10:56 AM
I lurk here all the time but am usually to shy to comment, just had to come out of the shadows for this though. It is just gorgeous, the combination of fabrics is lovely of course but it is so cleverly put together, the interior is just perfect, the right combination of pockets and the light lining makes it easy to see everything. I think it is the nicest baby bag I have seen.
posted by Rebecca on September 28, 2007 04:19 AM
So beautiful, so you! It looks perfectly made and so well thought out. It is the nicest diaper bag I've ever seen - wonderful!
posted by mari on September 28, 2007 10:01 AM
Oh, I love it. Seems like the right size and the fabric choice is just wonderful. A perfect bag to use daily sans children [no children yet]. The pockets could be used for a lipstick, keys, notebook, etc.
posted by Mefuza on September 28, 2007 10:45 AM
It's great. I wish I had one when my little ones were babies (much, much better than vinyl Winnie-the-Pooh). Great job.
posted by cactusneedles on September 28, 2007 12:26 PM
its beautiful!
posted by loriz on September 28, 2007 04:08 PM
Sweet bag! And just the right size, I think.
posted by carrie on September 29, 2007 09:31 AM
Absolutely beautiful work. The design is perfect and I love your choice of fabric.
posted by lindar on September 30, 2007 10:20 PM
nice job! i like it.
posted by joyce on October 2, 2007 09:51 PM
It's super cute. I love the colors and the details. Wow! What a lucky recipient.
posted by connie on October 5, 2007 01:32 PM
oh, this is really wonderful! i LOVE it!
posted by leslie on October 9, 2007 11:16 PM
That bag really turned out nice! The colors are diffent the normal pinks and blues, it really does pop out. That sucks about the leather part but it did really turn out fantastic and it will probably wear very well. That is my biggest complaint about sewn bags is that the handles wear out far before the bag does, I'm sure this one will last a long while though!
posted by Heather on October 11, 2007 09:45 PM
I love this bag. And I just happen to have this very same Amy Butler fabric sitting next to my, unfortunately, broken sewing machine. Perhaps when I get it fixed (or get a new one) I'll take a crack at my own lovely diaper bag. BTW, I love your blog. And I'm in absolute awe of how organized you are about your posts. It's a bit like flipping through a really nice crafting magazine. I imagine if your posts were in print they'd be on lovely recycled paper stock. Sigh...
posted by jennifer on October 11, 2007 11:20 PM