Sewing

Yuma Oxbow Tote

I had the Yuma fabric pulled into a few different piles, so I knew I would end up making a Yuma Oxbow Tote!

Yuma Oxbow Tote

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Leah Duncan! I’ve been using her fabrics whenever a new collection pops up. I love the way she combines colors. Here’s a cute jacket I made lined with Leah’s fabric, and another one, some t-shirts, a beautiful dress, a lanyard wallet, a Zip Top Tote (pattern from my book, Handmade Style), a Market Bag (also from my book), two Double Zip Wallets (also from my book), the exterior of my Road Trip Case, an Envelope Clutch, this green Divided Basket, and more! Seriously I didn’t know I made that many things with her fabrics over the years, fun to take a look back.

As soon as I saw her new collection, Yuma, I scooped some up right away from Hawthorne Supply Co. I picked up a few prints and it was fun to mix and match them with other fabrics. I combined her Howdy print as the main body of the bag and this Shetland Flannel in Olive for the accent fabric (pocket & reinforced base).

I had a really hard time deciding on webbing for this one! There are so many great colors in this print, all of them went really well with the webbing I have. In the end, I decided on Acorn (available in my shop). And I used waterproof canvas from Sullivan’s Trim for the lining. I really love any fabric that I don’t have to use interfacing with (yes, bag making is my job and I there are things I don’t like to do as much either!), and it’s been fun trying out a somewhat new-to-me substrate.

Coming up…

Did you watch my sew-along videos for the Oxbow yet???? I made this tote during my sew-along videos for the Oxbow. I’m really happy with how it turned out. I used a metal snap on the front pocket just for fun. It was fun quilting it up, too!

I put together one more little video (Part 3) for some alternate crossbody strap connector options. I write my patterns so a MAJORITY of people can make them without special equipment and without too much hassle. The side strap connectors are geared so the most amount of people can be successful with the pattern. It’s the easiest route to go! But I like having options, and I think there’s never a limit as to what you can do – you’re the artist, YOU get to decide. That, in my opinion, is the absolute best thing about sewing!

I’ve been recovering from the flu ever since my last video, and now I’m finally feeling *almost* back to normal. It’s been a few weeks! So, check that out. It’s on my YouTube channel.

Project Details

Sewing

Oxbow Sew Along Part 2

Welcome to the Oxbow Tote Sew-Along Part 2! I’m so excited to have you join along! 

Here’s the schedule I’ll be following for the sew-along:
Part 1: Friday, January 12th, fabric selection, cutting & fusing, preparing reinforced base and zipper
Part 2: Friday, January 19th (today), Assemble Front and Back, insert zipper and we’re all done!
Part 3: Possible wrap-up post

This schedule should allow for plenty of catch up time if you miss a week. Don’t feel pressured to rush along! But if you’re cruising along and having fun feel free to go at your own pace, too. No rules here!

Oxbow Sew Along Part 2
My completed Oxbow (Regular size) from the video, featuring Yuma by Leah Duncan for Cloud9 Fabrics

In today’s video (Part 2, linked below) we assemble the front and back of the bag, insert the zipper and finish things up!

After this week you should have a completed Oxbow!

Watch the VIDEO for Part 2 of the sew-along!

Oxbow Sew Along Part 2

Click the image above to watch the video. Or click this link to play the video.


Looking for supplies for your Oxbow?

Below are supplies for the Oxbow Tote that are available in my shop.

For both the Regular and Overnight size tote:

Project Details

The Oxbow in the sew-along video is sewn in the following fabrics:

Thank you so much for your support! I can’t wait to see more Oxbow Totes! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@noodlehead531) and use #OxbowTote #noodleheadpatterns

Sewing

Oxbow Tote Sew-Along

Welcome to the Oxbow Tote Sew-Along Part 1! I’m so excited to have you join along! 

Here’s the schedule I’ll be following for the sew-along:
Part 1: Friday, January 12th (today), fabric selection, cutting & fusing, preparing reinforced base and zipper
Part 2: Friday, January 19th, Assemble Front and Back, insert zipper
Part 3: Possible wrap-up if we don’t finish everything in Part 2!

This schedule should allow for plenty of catch up time if you miss a week. Don’t feel pressured to rush along! But if you’re cruising along and having fun feel free to go at your own pace, too. No rules here!

Oxbow Tote Sew-Along

In today’s video (Part 1, linked below) I show an overview and project discussion. I also talk about fabric selection, cutting & interfacing, quilting, and then prepare the reinforced base as well as prepare the zipper.

Cutting & Labels

Cutting measurements and cutting layouts are found on pages 3-6 of the Oxbow PDF. 

  • Print pages 15-20 if you are making the Regular size.
  • Print pages 21-29 if you plan on making the Overnight size.
  • Print page 14 if you plan to cut the rectangular pieces using your gridded mat/ruler.

After this week you should have all the pieces cut and the interfacing fused to all corresponding pieces. You will also have the reinforced base and zipper prepared.

Oxbow Tote Sew-Along

Watch the VIDEO for Part 1 of the sew-along!

Click the image above to watch the video. Or click this link to play the video.


Read a few notes about the project & supplies needed below:

I’m including some fabric and zipper notes below. I chat a bit about them in the video as well.

Fabric Options & Quilting

Oxbow Tote Sew-Along

In the video I discuss about using a quilting cotton or lighter weight fabric for the exterior fabrics and a how to for marking and quilting your Main Panel pieces.

First, I rough cut my fabric a few inches larger than the Main Panel pattern piece. I use two layers of 80/20 batting, and then my fabric on top. I quilt the pieces and then trim them to size using the pattern piece.

It is a bit of prep work, but it’s a beautiful result if you don’t mind the extra steps.

Waxed canvas is another great option for using on the Oxbow. If you’d like to read more about that, I’ve discussed it in-depth in this blog post.

Zippers Used

Lastly, this pattern is written for traditional fixed-length zippers. In the video and the pattern I also give tips for using zipper by the yard/continuous zipper. For this type of installation (on the Oxbow), zipper lengths are fairly interchangeable whether you’re using a fixed-length or zipper tape. So if you’re in a hurry and cut your zipper tape to the fixed-length size, you should still be okay!

Reinforced Base

Looking for supplies for your Oxbow?

Below are supplies for the Oxbow Tote that are available in my shop.

For both the Regular and Overnight size tote:

Project Details

The Oxbow in the sew-along video is sewn in the following fabrics:

Thank you so much for your support! I can’t wait to see more Oxbow Totes! Be sure to tag me on Instagram (@noodlehead531) and use #OxbowTote #noodleheadpatterns