Sewing

New! Oxbow Tote Pattern

Happy December! I’m excited to introduce you to my newest pattern, the Oxbow Tote!

New! Oxbow Tote Pattern
Samples feature Fableism wovens and pre-quilted fashion fabric from Blackbird Fabrics

Here’s a quick list of the pattern’s features:

  • two sizes to sew! Regular and Overnight!
  • secure zipper top
  • reinforced base
  • removable crossbody strap
  • easy access front pocket
  • instructions for quilting, perfect if you want to use that gorgeous quilting cotton for the exterior!
New! Oxbow Tote Pattern
Regular size
New! Oxbow Tote Pattern
New! Oxbow Tote Pattern
Overnight size

The Oxbow Tote pattern is a versatile zippered top tote bag in two sizes to sew! Features an easy-access front pocket, reinforced base, crossbody strap, and a roomy interior with a slip pocket. Customize yours by quilting!

  • The Regular size is a perfect work bag. It’s roomy but not bulky! It fits a laptop and notebooks with plenty of room to spare.
  • The Overnight size is just that, perfect for an Overnight trip! Now, depending on what you pack and the season, it would work for a weekend trip, too! Be sure to check out the finished dimensions in the pattern listing before commiting to a certain size!
New! Oxbow Tote Pattern
reinforced base

I hope you’ll love this new pattern! I’ve been BUSY sewing up a bunch of samples. My main inspiration for this tote was my daughters. They’re both the age where they’re doing plenty of traveling and overnight stuff. The Cargo Duffles I made them 10 years ago were in need of replacement! Funny enough, for all the use they gave those duffles, they really held up so well! The cute little prints were outgrown a while ago (but I mean, I love them hedgehogs and kites – love!). So they were both asking for an updated bag to take to sleepovers and for traveling.

New! Oxbow Tote Pattern
interior

I’ve kept the interior fairly uncomplicated with a generous-sized slip pocket that you can divide up to your heart’s desire. As always, if you’re a seasoned bag maker, feel free to take this as a starting point and add whatever suits you! That’s the best part of making something yourself!

New! Oxbow Tote Pattern

Curious about the name? Oxbow is a word for a bend in a river. I grew up on the Mississippi river, so no surprise there why I picked it!

TODAY through December 17th only (ends Sunday, December 17th at 10 pm CST) purchase your PDF for 20% off! No code needed!

Construction Notes

The Oxbow Tote features a fun construction method, a fun zippered top with a twist! The Reinforced Base is a fun take and adds a layer of durability. I’ll be doing a full video sew-along soon (keep reading for more information on that!).

Fabric Notes

This pattern is really a scrap buster’s dream! I don’t think there’s a fabric I wouldn’t think would be a good fit. Twill, denim, canvas, dry oilskin, waxed canvas, pre-quilted fabric, Essex (cotton/linen blend), even most quilting cottons are all great choices. And depending on what types of fabric you choose, that will partially determine the interfacing you’ll choose.

Interfacing Options

Okay, bag makers, this might be the most fun pattern because there are so many great options for interfacing this bag! I know I’ve been stuck waiting for supplies because I forgot to order more of my favorite interfacing. Have you? Well, I’m happy to say, there are so many great options for different fabrics and interfacings for the Oxbow Tote. It’s really endless and you’ll probably be able to work with fabrics/interfacings you already have in your stash! I’ll be sharing a video walk through of my samples and discussing in depth what fabrics and interfacings I used for each. Be sure to stay tuned for that!

Zippers Used

Lastly, this pattern is written for fixed-length size zippers, but I also give instructions for using zipper by the yard/continuous zipper. I have a bunch of new colors of handbag zippers in my shop in both lengths (for the Regular and Overnight sizes)! If you’re going for the continuous zipper route, I’ve been using #5 zips on some of my samples. Such a great option!

And….

  • 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 a month or so. Thank you for your enthusiasm & patience!

Sew-along

  • Lastly, yes!, I am planning on having a sew-along for the Oxbow! I think we can cover everything in 3 installments. I’ll be getting that prepared for the new year – think beginning to mid-January.
  • I will be hosting the sew-along here on my blog instead of an email based sew-along. And yes, there will be full sew through videos.
  • So keep an eye out here for more details coming next weeks!

Click here to purchase the pattern!


Sample uses Bloom by Bookhou for Kokka Fabrics (I purchased mine from Bolt Fabric)

Supplies for the Oxbow:

Available in my shop:

Hope that covers everything! I’ll be blogging about all the samples I’ve made separately! A huge thank you for being here! I’m so excited to see what you make.

Sewing

Navy Mini Making Backpack

I can’t believe I let this navy Mini Making Backpack sit in my closet without finishing it for so long!

Navy Mini Making Backpack

The other day I was cleaning up my sample closet (for a new pattern coming up next week!) and I came across this almost-finished mini Making Backpack. It’s always fun to find a project that you forgot about!

Navy Mini Making Backpack

I knew right away who I was going to give it to. I love it when it just clicks! My neighbor (who just got engaged) was the perfect recipient. So I scurried along and finished up making the binding and attaching it. And I added the zipper pulls for the finishing touch (these are the Pecan color).

Navy Mini Making Backpack

This one is made using dry oilskin in a gorgeous Navy color. The interior is some of the last denim gingham fabric that I have left (I don’t think it’s made anymore). I had used some of Zipper Zoo’s webbing and I believe the zip by the yard is from My Handmade Space with the interior zip from my shop.

Navy Mini Making Backpack

I really like how it turned out and I hope it goes on lots of adventures!

Project Details:

Sewing

Floral Haralson Bag

I can’t believe I never shared this floral version of my Haralson pattern here on the blog.

Floral Haralson Bag

I had made my first version (after many many prototypes) from this same floral print! And I happened to have enough left over to make another sample during the recording of my Haralson sew-along videos. If you watch the videos, you’ll get to see it in action, hopefully it’s also nice to see some still photos that are styled.

Floral Haralson Bag

Digitally Printed Fabric

This sample uses a cute floral I had printed at Hawthorne Supply Co. The floral design is by Sunday Babes and is printed on their cotton/linen blend. I hadn’t used their print on demand fabrics before this project. It was quite easy to work with.

My only aside (and this is maybe related to some digital printed fabrics?) is that the most worn parts of the fabric do tend for the design to rub off showing more of the base cloth. Almost all the bags I’ve ever made or used (using digitally printed fabrics or not) experience similar wear over time, but I think with an overall print like this it is more noticeable when the print wears away showing a cream/natural base cloth underneath. Just something to think about.

Floral Haralson Bag

I paired the floral with some dry oilskin scraps I had leftover and the Monster Snot and Cream zippers available in my shop. The webbing is Cognac, but I have some great alternatives, too! Acorn and Hazelnut are both beautiful brown toned webbing colors. All are available in my shop!

I used the hardware and leather closure option (which is what I use for my personal bag as well). The pattern includes using other hardware closure options such as a Turn Lock or a Loxx Fastener. I go over installing each closure in my video as well!

Project Details:

Here are the links to the sew-along videos in case you need them.