Hands down my favorite. I like simple, I like minimal. Solid colors for bags is always a yes for me. If you’re ever in doubt, a solid always looks great. This Nuno to Mono Fieldstone Tote was a fun sew!
Why Nuno to Mono? It’s the name of the specific heavyweight canvas that Kokka Fabrics sells. You might be able to find some at your local quilt shop (or ask for it, they might be able to order it for you!). This is a STURDY canvas. It comes in at 13 oz. which is nice and heavy for bag making. I didn’t add any interfacing to this canvas, but you could, just keep it out of the seam allowances and your machine will thank you.
And for the handles, I wanted to get a little fancy and I added these leather ones. I finished these by oiling them, finishing the edges, and then rounding the ends with my end punch. I added them at the very end of making my tote. Just skipped sandwiching the handles between the layers and then when I had the tote all done and topstitched, I punched through the Main Exterior and Main Inner Panel on both sides of the tote and attached the handles with rivets. I added about 3″ of length (to the measurement in the pattern) to each handle measurement to account for the placement, but feel free to adjust as you’d like! This type of installation makes it easy to decide because they’re added at the very end!
I made a lot of Fieldstone Totes in the process of developing the pattern. Mostly because I had so much fun putting together different combinations of fabrics! So here’s a trio of Fieldstone Totes! These are all View A of the Fieldstone Tote in the Regular size.
First up is the classic Strawberries canvas (navy) by Kimberly Kight for Ruby Star Society. You can’t get more summery than these strawberries, they’re just perfect.
I paired it with the 600d waterproof canvas from Sullivan’s Trim. It’s a wipeable fabric, so I’ve loved using it on my samples for the gusset! You can set it in anything and then just wipe it clean. You’ll notice that all three of these Fieldstone Totes use it for the gusset. Grab some for yourself, I bought a bunch and have really enjoyed working with it. The other thing they have in common is that they all use the Ivory 300d waterproof canvas from Sullivan’s trim. The 300d is a lighter weight than the 600d and is perfect for a wipeable lining!
Second Fieldstone is this gorgeous Echino canvas by Kokka. They’re canvas is so perfect and I always have loved the bold designs. I love how this one looks!
Lastly is the See You at Six stripe! The canvas stripe is from See You at Six Fabrics. I got mine from Bolt Fabrics, but you might be albe to scour the web and find more (I think it was from their summer collection from last year). I’m on the hunt for more striped fabric to make more samples! I love how you can change up the direction of the stripe to create more interest.
I had so much fun making these, they’re going to be perfect to pass out to my family at our next gathering. I also think they’d make a great gift for teachers for the end of school year – it’s not that far off (says mother of high school senior)!
It makes a cute project bag for your craft stuff, lunch bag, or for everyday!
The Regular size is going to be perfect when you need to carry a bit more! Toss in your things and go! It’ll hold a sweater’s worth of yarn or makes a great everyday tote to hold all your things. Perfect for toting back and forth to work or your car.
I hope you’ll love this new tote pattern as much as I do! I’ve been having so much FUN sewing up the samples. My inspiration for this pattern started when I was making the Mini size and wanted to feature my favorite fabrics, then I couldn’t resist adding the Regular size. Plus, the boxy shape lends itself extremely well for patchwork on the Main Panels!
The Fieldstone Tote features a super boxy shape. View A is perfect for an Advanced Beginner! If you’ve made a basic tote, the Fieldstone would be a great way to level up your skills.
The pattern includes several options for handles so you can customize it to fit your needs and preferences.
View B is a great Intermediate sewing pattern. If you’re looking to try a new way to make a zippered top closure and are up for a challenge, I know you’ll have fun with this view!
Plus, I’m excited to have some future blog posts that might cover things like adding a key holder, adding a water bottle sleeve, and using one fabric (instead of two) for the exterior.
Mini and Regular side view
Fabric Notes
This pattern is perfect for all your fun splashy designer canvas prints (I used a few of the Ruby Star Society canvases for my Exterior Fabric on a lot of my samples and adore them!) with waterproof canvas for the lining. Most of the designer canvases you can find a quilt shop (Ruby Star Society, Windham, Moda, etc.) fall within the recommended 6-8 oz. weight. I also like the way the thicker Fableism fabrics work as well!
I also used 600d Waterproof Canvas from Sullivan’s Trim for the Exterior Accent pieces (and skipped the interfacing – so easy to use and sew and has the perfect structure!). You could even make the whole exterior using this!
For another heavier canvas for the Exterior Accent fabric I used Kokka’s Nuno to Mono Cotton Heavyweight Canvas (it’s 13 oz. which is heavy, grab your size 16 needle for sure!). And same as for the 600d waterproof canvas, skip the interfacing if you’re using the Nuno to Mono.
Another option would be Robert Kaufman’s Big Sur canvas, I would stick with a lighter interfacing or no interfacing when using this 9.6 oz. canvas.
View B (Mini and Regular)
Interfacing Notes
As with many bag projects, the cutting and interfacing take the most time! I would recommend breaking up your making sessions into two parts: one for cutting and interfacing and another for sewing!
For this project I recommend a fusible woven interfacing (Pellon SF101 or equivalent) for the lining pieces and Emmaline Bags (EB Fuse – Medium) for the exterior pieces. In the pattern I do give options for a few different other interfacings, so check those out as well.
View A (Regular) interior
Zippers Used
This pattern is written for zipper by the yard (many of which come in nylon finish that look like metal!). As always, be sure to read through all the entire supplies list and instructions before sewing!
If you’re using up some fixed-length zippers in your stash, grab a nylon coil handbag zipper that’s at least 1″ longer than the size listed in the pattern. Here are the fixed-length handbag nylon zippers I have in my shop.
Upcoming video sew-along and….
YES! I will be sharing a full video sew-along! I haven’t decided yet if it would be more fun to do it email style or just post to YouTube. Can you let me know if you have a preference? This will probably be a two or three part video to go over both views. I hope to have it ready starting mid-March!
I am very excited to show you more samples! I’ll be diving into the details of each of the samples that I’ve made with in-depth blog posts – so be sure to stop by my blog in the coming weeks for those!
For those of you who prefer paper patterns, I’m hoping to have those ready in about a month or so (end of March). Thank you for your enthusiasm & patience!
check your other favorite supply shops if you’re buying zipper by the yard!
* Note: pattern assumes zipper tape width of 1 ¼”/3.2cm. Zipper by the yard/continuous zipper is most often found with nylon teeth. Nylon comes in colors that look like metal. Nylon is easy to sew through!
Can’t wait to share more! Thanks so much for your support! I’m SO excited to see what you make using this new Fieldstone Tote pattern!
