Anna's Birthday Tote Bag
The bag lady strikes again! This very generously sized, quilted, expandable, zippered tote bag is for Anna who recently turned 16. She picked out some gorgeous fabric and I put it together for her. I do hope she likes this bag as much as I liked making it for her.
I've made this pattern dozens of times, and each time the result is a little different. For Anna's bag, I made a large outside pocket for each side and lined it with the accent fabric. The flowers on this fabric were just begging to be fussy cut and used for the first pocket!
I thought this bird would be a nice feature on the second pocket.
The zippered section of the bag shows off more of this beautiful Michael Miller fabric called Belle Rose from the French Journal line.
Here's the inside of the bag with the zippered section inside the bag. The lining fabric is also a Michael Miller fabric called Dandelion in Raspberry.
And in this picture, the inside of the bag looks so much bigger because the zippered section has been pulled up making the bag an extra five inches taller! Here you can also see the strap with the swivel clip hanging from it, and all the pockets around the inside of the bag.
I included a D-ring at the top of the bag for Anna to clip things to. The base of the bag is brown corduroy for hiding dirt and also wearing well. It has been lined with Peltex 70 which is Pellon's extra super duper stiff interfacing which holds its shape and will keep those corners sharp and crisp for the life of the bag.
The outside pockets are quite large and will be great for sliding notebooks or flip-flops into...
...or supplies for Anna's current craft project.
This bag is not for sale, but if you are looking for a great tote bag similar to this one in design and quality, please check out my Etsy shop where you'll find lots of items handmade by me and ready to go!
Happy Stitching!
Click here to return to HookedOnNeedles.com
This bag is not for sale, but if you are looking for a great tote bag similar to this one in design and quality, please check out my Etsy shop where you'll find lots of items handmade by me and ready to go!
Happy Stitching!

Labels: sewing, tote bag, zippered extension
19 Comments:
Love, love, love this bag. The fabrics, and how you used them are just perfect.
By
Karen M, At
May 21, 2011 at 2:52 PM
Love that fabric...it's on my "I want" list in both colorways! Looks fabulous as a bag.
By
Abby and Stephanie, At
May 21, 2011 at 4:07 PM
Super cute bag! Love the fabrics :)
By
Melissa, At
May 21, 2011 at 10:23 PM
Gorgeous bag, Mary Grace...love it! You outdid yourself on this one!
Merry ♥
By
Merry Thornsburg, At
May 21, 2011 at 11:14 PM
The bird on the side really makes the bag! Beautiful fabric.
By
Nedra, At
May 22, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Beautiful bag!
By
Marit Johanne, At
May 22, 2011 at 12:30 PM
Such a beautiful bag - I really love it and you did such a wonderful job - you continue to amaze me!
By
annemarie, At
May 22, 2011 at 4:54 PM
Now this is a beautiful bag. I just love the colors you selected.
By
Decor To Adore, At
May 23, 2011 at 11:13 AM
That is a fabulous tote! I'm sure she will adore it! That fabric is gorgeous!
By
Rumi, At
May 23, 2011 at 1:31 PM
ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! That fabric is to die for! I love it!
By
Gina's Custom Creations, At
May 23, 2011 at 10:38 PM
What a fun and cheery tote MG! Thanks for sharing! 8-)
By
Myra, At
May 24, 2011 at 2:46 PM
This bag is beautiful, inside and out. Did you use the Peltex 70 throughout the bag or only on the bottom? Thanks for the inspiration!
By
Ruby, At
May 29, 2011 at 7:30 AM
Ruby, I used the Peltex just on the corduroy for this bag, but nothing saying it couldn't be used on the whole thing! It's great stuff!
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
May 31, 2011 at 8:13 PM
Love this! Love all the bags you have made from this pattern! I just found it and am going to make one for an upcoming trip .. very well written and easy to follow for one so anal as I :)
By
Toby, At
June 18, 2011 at 8:53 PM
PS What size is the finished bag?
By
Toby, At
June 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM
Hi Toby, thanks for your nice comments! I was not able to reply directly to you since your profile is set as no-reply and your blogs don't appear to be active. So I hope you get this. You can go to my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/HookedOnNeedles and read the description of the two bags that are for sale there, made exactly like this one, for all the dimensions. Or make it easy on yourself and just buy one of my bags already made! :)
MGM
By
Mary Grace McNamara, At
June 21, 2011 at 9:11 PM
Thank you for the amzing bag, Mary. I love it! The fabric is beautiful and it's really versatile as well. It is an awesome gift that holds all my craft activities perfectly!!! I really appreciate the time and labor you put into making this for me. And the fabric is just gorgeous - I know I said I wasn't a pink girl, but I've made an exception for this beautiful bag!
By
Anna Stephens, At
August 18, 2011 at 10:11 PM
That tote is so cute! I would love it if you shared it with WorkShop Wednesday. I would like to feature it next week!
By
Anonymous, At
August 24, 2011 at 3:04 PM
Thanks for linking to WorkShop Wednesday. I featured your post!
By
Anonymous, At
August 30, 2011 at 11:11 PM
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