I wanted this Firefly in Kept to have its own post. I made this sample of my newest pattern, the Firefly Tote and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to talk about fabric weights and combinations.

Fabric Weight

This sample uses Big Sur Canvas in Black (I purchased mine from Stitch Supply Co. for this tote). Canvas is one of the suggested fabrics for the exterior fabric selection. I try to be very specific with suggested fabrics because in bag making it is very important (it’s actually always important no matter what you’re sewing, as it does affect the outcome of your project – so always check that out the suggestions for the pattern you’re making!).

I suggest a 7-9 oz. canvas for the exterior fabric requirement. Big Sur is at the top of that range at 9.6 oz. so it’s a perfect choice! Anything lighter then 7 oz. will either require more interfacing for the same/similar results OR a different combination of fabric/quilting, etc. This includes Essex which is too light weight of a fabric (5.6 oz. weight) for using as the Exterior! Essex is the substrate my fabric collections have been printed on (Forage, Driftless, Quarry Trail, etc.). Essex is perfect for the accent fabric however!

Interfacing

For this particular sample and as written in the pattern, my personal preference is Pellon 809 for interfacing (it’s considered a medium-weight fusible for bag making). It’s a bit stiff and perfect for a tote like this. I have no difficulty with wrinkles or fusing it to canvas (sometimes it can be very fussy when fusing to quilting cotton), but with canvas it goes on perfectly! You could also substitute Decovil light! (Let me know how you like it if you do.)

Kept Fabric

This sample showcases Carolyn Friedlander’s latest fabric collection, Kept as the accent fabric. I love being able to use a beautiful print like this and I think it is such a fun pop of interest to the front pockets/drawstring closure.

Project Details:

• Pattern: Firefly Tote (“Tote” size, which is the larger of the two sizes you can choose)
• Fabric: Big Sur canvas for the exterior (in Black), Kept by Carolyn Friedlander for the Accent, and a black/white grid for the lining (I believe this is one I purchased from Purl Soho years ago, but this Essex would be similar although a large scale grid)
• Zippers (7″ zip for “tote” size), leather (this is the Rustic color in my shop), and drawstring cord all available in my shop

Sew-along

Lastly, I’m putting together a sew-along for the Firefly Tote that will begin June 22nd (the first email will go out then!). It’s an email-based newsletter style sew-along. You can click here to sign up! No pressure to keep up with the schedule, it’s just for fun. If you’re busy during this time sign up anyway and keep the emails for future use!