These were so fun to make!!! I love small projects like this so much. Have you tried out the Snappy Manicure Wallet pattern yet? It’s fun and free!

These were made for our seriously awesome teachers that we had this year. We were so lucky! Of course I tried to do some top secret reconnaissance work to figure out their favorite colors, but in the end I grabbed some cute fabrics and sewed! I really like how I managed to somewhat coordinate the two wallets.

Eventually I plan to make an alternate type pocket tutorial for ya in case you don’t need a special wallet just for your nail polish. Although I’m sure you could get creative and find all other kinds of things to put in those cute nail polish slots! Chocolate?!

Pattern: Snappy Manicure Wallet (designed by me for Robert Kaufman Fabrics)
Fabrics: Heather Ross Far Far Away 3 and Cosmo Cricket (Eric & Julie Comstock) for Moda and of course some lovely random bits from my scrap pile
Snaps: Snapsource

I’d love it if you would add any photos to the noodlehead flickr group or the Robert Kaufman Fanatics flickr group. It’s so fun to see what you make! Or you can tag your pics with #snappymanicurewallet.

Just wanted to first start out by saying that the Poolside Tote will be available for individual purchase on July 1st. Hopefully in just enough time to make for all your summer travels, although a Super Tote would be just as handy, just sayin.

This’ll be the last Poolside Tote I’ll torture you with until the individual PDF will be released for sale, I promise. I love this fabric!!! Love love. It’s a cotton dobby (a great texture to the fabric, sort of like bark cloth) and the colors are just so happy and springy. I paired it with some tough denim on the inside and Essex linen for the handles and accents.

I tried using Pellon’s Fusible Hair Canvas for the first time! I’d been really curious about it for a long time. I really liked using it, although I thought (or hoped) it would add a little more stiffness to the bag than it actually did. Overall though I like the way it turned out. I used the reverse side of my favorite denim as the lining.

I got all fancy with the key loop, a smidge of leather was calling my name!

I’m happy to report that this bag was flung around on a plane to quilt market and drug around for a few days and held up quite well.  For me I wouldn’t use it for an everyday bag or purse (except in this case it was really great for traveling), but I’ll be putting it to use this summer at the pool! This is the slip pocket version (there’s also a zippered pocket version) and I was worried a bit about keeping my cell phone safe with all the hustle and bustle of air travel, but it actually stayed quite nicely in the pocket. Gotta love options!

Pattern: Poolside Tote (available in the Bag of the Month Club now, or as a separate PDF coming in July)
Fabric: Dobby Birds from Miss Matatabi, Yarn Dyed Essex in Leather, denim

I’m ready for warmer weather!!  The trees are just starting to sprout leaves here and I can’t wait to be able to use my Poolside Totes for when we go on trips this summer. This fun Poolside Tote made for Cloud 9‘s booth at market.  The Arcadia fabric collection by Sarah Watson is so pretty!  I love the colors and hand drawn feel of her work.  It’s amazing!  The warm colorway is just amazing too.  I will be making more with it, too pretty to pass up!

With this Poolside Tote I interfaced the exterior pieces with both Pellon SF101 and a layer of 9 oz. cotton canvas.  Because the exterior fabric is a pretty lightweight quilting cotton these layers of interfacing really make it into a nice bag!  Again, with this selection of interfacings it doesn’t stand up on it’s own unless at least partially filled.  I just love how it looks when worn though!  It’s big, but not obnoxious.

Pattern: Poolside Tote (available through the Bag of the Month Club or as a separate PDF coming up in the next month or so)
Fabrics: Arcadia by Sarah Watson for Cloud 9 Fabrics