First Monday of the Month, the Sewist Considers a New Tote

I saw this the other day on one of the Accquilt sponsored blogs and fell in love. How cute is this? Talk about Spring/Summer inspiration. The original post with more photo's and other options, here. *the language is Russian and there is a translator on the blog, however, no English! I found the Spanish difficult to follow in Russian transcript so I let the pictures do the talking.

I don't know about you but I am so happy that May is here. It seems that Winter and Winter-like weather has shadowed us into April leaving us wondering if we will ever warm up. Then I look at the news of the birth of the New Princess, yet unnamed, and all the onlookers are wearing coats, some of them fur trimmed. I was in London several years ago at this time of year and froze my Ya-Ya's off. No thank you.

OK, back to the world of needles and thread. I am not a purse maker, just never got around to it. But this tote is doable. A simple shape probably with a drop in lining. I have some Happy Fabric in the stash and I think I have this cutting die or at least one much like it. You know, Ohhh I need this and then I get busy doing something else and it languishes in its original packaging. I am pretty sure I don't have a sturdy base fabric though. I have some garment linens but they are too flimsy for such a project.

• First Monday means mending. I just have a few pillow cases that need a hem repaired and an apron with a tie that has gone off. I am getting off easy today.
• The Tilton Sisters are back in Paris and their updates illustrate fashion trends they are seeing on the street and in the shops. In recent years their patterns have evolved to puzzles that create unusual shapes. Not sure about that.
• Like I have sewn any clothes lately!
• In the blogger world news it is a bonus for several of the writers I regularly read. Because of their talent and hard work they have been commissioned by Moda to create their own fabric lines! It takes about a year after the original sketches are submitted to see the fabric in the stores. As they come to market I will try to feature them. These fortunate Sewists are now entering a totally different world of quilting as a result of their dedication to their craft and posting it online in their blogs. Congratulations!