The Tote Bag Project

We're starting the high-school girl's ministries class this year, and I've taken that on as well as the junior high class until we can expand the teacher roster. It's not too strenuous, as we currently only have one girl in the high school class.

But having an extremely small class presents the opportunity to do some things that are difficult in a class of, say, twelve. Case in point: the project for our unit on 'Personal Appearance'. As units are completed, girls in this level earn enameled lapel pins. Unlike all the other classes, which have sashes or, in the junior high class, a necklace, to display the unit awards, there is no specified location for these pins.

So, we decided a tote bag would be a good 'display board' for the pins, and I came up with a very basic lined tote bag with a front pocket; the emblem (a graphic-style rose) of the class will be applique'd on the pocket.

















My one student does not have a functional sewing machine at her house, so I've hauled my old seriously-in-need-of-maintenance Kenmore in and we're doing a First Project.

There's not enough time in our Sunday morning class to work on it, so we've done two Saturday work days, while The Flute Player has dance/human video practice. On the first day, she cut out the bag and the lining, put some Peltex in the lining for support on the bottom, fused the interfacing on the straps, traced the logo onto paper-backed fusible web and fused the appropriate parts onto the the fabric.

This past Saturday, she attached the lining to the top edge of the pocket and then applique'd the pieces to the pocket, after doing about 4 paisley-shaped practice applique's to get the hang of it...

I'd hoped two sessions would be enough, but I didn't figure on the learning curve. So I need to schedule another work day to hopefully sew the bag together. I'll post a photo of it when she's done.

Crossing my fingers that my bag-drafting works... ;)