Ruffled Tote

My mom stumbled upon a new blog recently and sent me several links.  I thought these tote bags were so cute!  This blog seems to specialize in tutorials on up-cycling used/too small items into something new and uber cute!

I had some fabric scraps and decided to give the ruffled tote a whirl!  Here’s what I came up with!

   
The lighting in my pictures isn’t the greatest.  But it is a purple plaid home-dec fabric, so it is nice and “stiff” for my bag.  The ruffles are a teal colored knit that I had leftover from making my own Moby Wrap.

I wanted to use this for a church tote, and possibly as my purse for outings when I need to bring my planner along.  So I added a pocket to the inside.  I made a large pocket and then stitched down the center so that it became a double pocket – perfect for my phone, keys, and a pen!

 

I squared off the bottom of my bag at 2 inches, so that it is wide enough for my planner and Bible when I take it to church.

The tutorial was easy and clear.  The ruffles took me longer than I had anticipated.  I wanted to finish this in one naptime.  It took me 2 naptimes to get it completed.  I did have a couple of issues…I sewed the bag together with my pocket upside down, so I had to fix that.  But I’m happy with the finished product!