Well you may have noticed that lately, I’ve been feeling florals. So when I saw the Tea with Bea fabric designed by Katherine Lenius, I knew it would be perfect for tons of projects! I envisioned quilts, pillows, and BAGS!
The prints and colors are springy and fun, I’m particularly drawn to this adorable Tea Cup Print called Tea Time and the Feature Floral…although I love the bee print too. OK, I just love fabric and this line is really striking all the chords I’m looking for at the moment!
My original idea was to create a couple of bathroom kits, but these fabrics couldn’t be left INSIDE, these fabrics needed to GO PLACES! So I still made some bags, but bags for the GO!
First up, my lovely new laptop (that I’m writing this blog on) needed a new home! I have made a Purse Organizer by SotakHandmade before to protect my iPad, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to make an adorable travel companion for my laptop.
This is not the standard size in the pattern, but some simple math up-sized this padded organizer to the perfect laptop case that even matches my mouse!
Now naturally, I needed a tote to carry this bag in and who better than my other bag designer love, Anna Graham of Noodlehead to the rescue! Upon the recommendation of my friend Jessica, I went with the Explorer Tote pattern. It’s an oversized tote that is beautiful in its lines and has some fun construction I’ve never tried before.
This bag was made using the feature print in two color ways, which I think gives a fun pop! I installed a turn lock for the first time and it definitely looks harder than it is.
To install you literally just cut a hole and use fray check! Not hard at all!
On the bottom of the bag I used Sallie Tomato cork in the color Petal Pink, which paired with this tote so nicely.
I also used a 28wt Aurifil Thread on this beauty, I love how it pops on the cork, and gives the top stitching a beautiful look. My friends Kate and Karen have gotten my hooked on 28 wt for top stitching since I met them at International Quilt Festival in 2019!
Because I pivoted from my original plan- I did have a some extra fabric. Now what does a fabric and bag lover do…make more bags of course! So I knocked out a few coordinating Petal Pouches to go with the set!
This adorable set of bags and pouches have actually already traveled with me- what a success! I love all the pockets and places to store cords, pens, and hand sanitizer!
I hope you are inspired to SEW SOMETHING WITH ZIPPERS! I know you can do it, and maybe you’ll make a set of these travel friendly bags for your next trip, whether it’s just to the office or hopefully to see friends and family soon!
You can find Riley Blake Fabrics at your Local Quilt Shop or Hawthorne Supply Co!
Let me know what you would make with this beautiful line! -Tina
[…] all the scraps. Such a wonderful pattern. If you don’t know how much I love Sotak Handmade check out my last blog post that included her purse […]