Hillside Tote III

It seems I've been doing plenty of sewing lately, just not quilts! Since I finished my Kantha quilt, I've just been sewing other things, one of which was another Hillside Tote, which was made as a gift for my sister-in-law.

I'd actually made this pattern twice before - once for myself, and once for my mom. As she did for the tote I made her, mom chimed in on all the details for this bag. We settled on the regular size, which measures 9.5" wide by 3" deep (measured at base), 9.25" tall, with a width at top opening of 12.5". After struggling to find the waxer canvas we'd hoped to find online, I realized I had enought canvas left from making mom's bag for this bag too. It was a Light Olive 10 oz. Hand Waxed Cotton Canvas Fabric from ALFrancesTextiles on Etsy. It's a tiny bit heavier than the pattern suggests but worked great both times.

For lining, we ordered Kaufman's Big Sur Cotton Canvas in Mustard from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics, And then from the pattern designer, Anna of Noodlehead, we picked up a Redwood Tote Hardware Kit which inclued the hardware we needed, as well as a 1" leather handle in 54" length in Rustic, a 12" nylon handbag zipper in Monster Snot, plus some leather zipper pulls. Boy I love when you can get so much of what you need from one shop!

One great (to me) thing about pairing the waxed canvas with the cotton canvas on this bag is that there is no need for fusible interfacing. Honestly, that step seems to take so much time in prepping your materials, that I'm glad when it isn't needed. And having made this bag twice, it went together pretty quickly! I love the design, and know from experience that the bag will be sturdy and handy to use. Mom and I also both love the leather strap which is a snap to make and looks so good. Anyway, the tote is now in the hands of the recipient, and here's hoping she enjoys hers as well as mom and I have ours.