Sunday, November 3, 2013

Stripey Summer Beach Tote

My daughter was flicking through a fashion magazine the other day and saw a stripey beach tote that she liked. When she showed the picture to me, I remembered that I had some red striped drill in my stash and said that I would make her one.
 It was predicted to be 36 deg C ( 96.8F) here today so we decided to go to the beach before it got too hot for a little photoshoot:)
I didn't use a pattern for this tote, which measures about 15" high x 20" wide - a perfect size to carry all the necessities for a trip to the beach! Note: the Biology textbook is not exactly light reading for the beach, but she has HSC exams coming up this week.  
It has both a slip pocket and a zippered pocket which is very handy to keep the sand away from mobile phones etc. I added in a little key fob too so the car keys don't get lost at the bottom of the bag either.
I used a medium iron on interfacing for the bag which gives the drill just enough sturdiness, and the straps are made from a thick white cotton piping cord. I couldn't find large grommets for the cord to go through so just sandwiched them inbetween the exterior and the lining by unravelling the cord a little where I would be sewing it, then flattening it out so there was only one layer to sew through with my walking foot.
This was a fairly quick bag to sew up, and one that I am sure will get a lot of use over summer!
Sew Sweetness
Linking to the Purse Palooza hosted by Sara of Sew Sweetness.


Le Challenge
And also to Le Challenge #7 - Stripes.
Kirsten.

17 comments:

  1. Fantastic bag for the beach! I hope you beautiful daughter has plenty of opportunity to enjoy using it, especially once exams are over.

    It's still over 36 here, it's been hovering at 36 and 37 for the last 4 1/2 hours....

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  2. Great bag. I just love those projects you can just whip up and finish in no time.

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  3. it looks great .. sure to get a lot of use xx

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  4. Great job, and very nautical themed :o)

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  5. Very cute! So fun to read blogs on the other side of our seasons!

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  6. Really cute, love those stripes! Wishing her good luck for the exams!

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  7. It's a beautiful bag - great idea to put in the fob. Did you have trouble sewing over the bulk of the cording?

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  8. It looks super! Tell me more about the handles - are they thick rope-like handles? How did you sew through them? I just can't quite see....

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  9. Pefect! Great bag and great weather, I'm totally jealous on this side of the cold world. :)

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  10. I love the bag! Great use of red and white drill. My daughter just bought a very similar looking one in blue and white stripe. It cost her most of her birthday money.

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  11. aah - you are so good at whipping up bags :-) Love the stripes!

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  12. I like your bag. But what I love is that it might be too hot by you!!!! We are hanging on the edge of winter here, and have one snowstorm under our belt :) But I bet I could make an awesome bag like this work for snow too. Great job.

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  13. this bag is great and so beachy looking love it! x

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  14. Love the bag, would go super well with my nautical entry! Thanks for participating in le challenge!

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  15. The bag looks really good and nice and sturdy too.

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  16. Lovely bag, I'm sure you enjoy taking it to the beach :)

    Hugs,
    Tatyana

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  17. absolutely love this beach tote, looks really good. And....unlike yourselves we have been told to expect our first snow this week.

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