Hearts and flowers (and spots!)

Red and aqua tote bag

Happy confluence with challenge 2 for iron craft, as the theme - hearts and flowers - matched some fabric I'd bought with the intention of making a tote-ish bag.

I'd been procrastinating over just what I wanted the bag to be (how big, how deep, handles, pockets ...), so the two week time limit for the challenge forced some decisions.

See, hearts as well as flowers

The bag is largely based on the Summer Madras Tote by Anna from Noodlehead. My main modifications were to divide the exterior pocket into three, rather than two; to put a pocket on the inside as well; and using quilt batting to give the bag some body (the original uses cotton canvas).

Red and aqua tote bag

After using the bag for a couple of days, I think the batting might have added a bit too much body. If I make another, and I probably will, I'll opt for canvas or similar as the interfacing and make it slightly longer and wider. Which isn't a criticism or the original pattern, or of my version. It's a reverse-engineering of the amount of stuff I take with me to and from work.

I know we're all supposed to be over red and aqua because it's been everywhere for the last year or so, but hey, who cares.

The fabrics are all from Michael Miller's Aqua and Red - Lil Plain Jane in Aqua, Quarter Dot in Red and Sweet Hearts in Red.