There was something about the texture, the colors, the patterns. Wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it, but felt that the plan would reveal itself in time. One day I had the eureka moment - totes! Totes for the market, totes for the beach, totes for the garden - whenever or wherever. It seemed like the perfect idea - it would be a re-usable bag, it would be weatherproof, it would be strong - it would be recycled (or upcycled as the current lingo goes!) I gathered together all my different colors and patterns.
I started by cutting equal lengths of the webbing and sewing the strips together. This gave me a reinforced piece of "fabric" to construct the tote. Since the edges don't fray, I didn't have to worry about finishing off the seams. I went to work on my trusty Singer...
an aside - I love my Singer sewing machine...it is an old 1950's cast iron model that I have had for over 30 years - simple straight stitch - nothing fancy. My mother taught me how to sew when I was young- I have sewed ever since. I used to make my own clothes - now I mostly make art. The machine is indestructible - I have used it to sew everything from silk organza to lightweight metal. I took it with me to London and scoured the city to find the adapter plug so that I could use it without blowing up the flat. When my mother passed away, I got her cast iron Singer - the machine I learned on - there is something to be said for the tried & true!
I used different colors to bind the edges and add the handles.
And voila! A tote ready to take anywhere you want to go!
These totes will be for sale at my space at Faded Elegance -
stop by soon!
