Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to share some recommendations for fabrics that would make a great Workshop Tote as well as my choices for the bags I'm going to make. I'm posting this now so that you have time to pick out or order fabrics if you need to, before the sew along starts!

First up, I'm including the pattern fabric requirements down below.

The tote exterior can be made with yardage, fat quarters, fat eighths or charm packs.

There are lots of different fabrics that you could use to make these totes. Let's look at a few bags stitched up and some fabric pulls I'm going to use for bags throughout the sew along!

Quilting Cotton Fabrics

Quilting cottons are perfect for these bags! Cut into some fresh fat quarters, fat eighths, a charm pack, or scrap bin for the patchwork + half-square triangle totes or show off a focal print with the plain tote. There are endless possibilities! Above you can see my quilting cotton pull for a tote using Terrestrial and Bird's Eye View collections by Sarah Watson.


And here is a beautiful bag made for me by my friend Brianne! She used black and white prints from her stash, and added a pop of color with nylon handles and a fun lining fabric. She also used a heavier interfacing (I believe Fusible Fleece), to add some extra structure and softness!

Light-weight Woven Fabrics



These are the fabrics I used for my half-square triangle tote and patchwork tote. They're a combination of shot cottons, cross weaves and peppered cottons. These solids have really lovely texture, and often are made with two different colored threads to give them extra dimension. Here are a few great options on the market right now:

- Kaleidoscope by Alison Glass
- Shot Cotton by Kaffe Fasset
- Peppered Cottons by Studio E
- Chambray by Andover
- Cross Weaves by Moda
- Cirrus Solids by Cloud 9 Fabrics
- Manchester Cotton by Robert Kaufman
- The Denim Studio by Art Gallery Fabrics


In addition to these, there are a number of beautiful fabrics that have designs woven in with different colored threads. The plain tote I made uses a fabric from Union Chambray. Here are a few great options for something similar:

- Mariner's Cloth by Alison Glass
- Union Chambray by Robert Kaufman
- Essex Yarn Dyed Classic Wovens by Robert Kaufman
- Window Dressing by Cloud 9 Fabrics


I'm using a combination of Mariner's Cloth paired with a Kaleidoscope solid for a half-square triangle tote. Each half-square triangle will be half solid and half stripe. To make one this way too, you'll need 5/8 yard of the solid and (7) fat eighths of the stripes.

Essex Linen Fabrics

Essex Linen is a great choices for these bags! It's got great structure, and is available in lots of colors. There are also a number of collections that are overprinted on Essex Linen and Homespun. Since it is a little heavier weight, you probably want to avoid using these for the half-square triangle version to avoid bulky seams. Here are a few options:

- Essex Linen by Robert Kaufman
- Euclid by Carolyn Friedlander
- Polk by Carolyn Friedlander
- Arroyo by Cotton Flax
- Forage by Anna Graham

Gingham Fabrics

Who doesn't love gingham? These woven fabrics would make lovely tote bags. I'm using seven colors of Checkers Gingham for a patchwork tote! Here are a few great gingham collections:

- Checkers Gingham by Cotton & Steel
- Carolina Gingham by Robert Kaufman
- Checks Please by Cloud 9 Fabrics

Barkcloth
I'm really excited to be dipping into my Gertrude Made barkcloth fabric for my plain tote. Barkcloth is a really interesting fabric that has a unique texture. You can sometimes find vintage barkcloth fabric, but there are some great modern ones on the market right now too:

- Gertrude Made Barkcloth
- Cloud 9 Barkcloth


Feel free to start posting your fabric choices and tagging them #workshoptote so we can see what you've got planned! And don't forget to pick up a copy of the Workshop Tote pattern! You can find it in my online shop, here.

We'll officially kick off the Sew Along on Tuesday, August 21st! Can't wait!!

Workshop Tote Sew Along

Welcome to the Workshop Tote Sew Along! Here you'll find helpful posts with tips tricks and tutorials for making super cute Workshop Totes!

This is going a casual sew along, so you can work at your own pace! These posts will be available indefinitely, so feel free to join in and sew anytime! Share your progress here: #workshoptote on Instagram


Pick up a copy of the pattern here: Workshop Tote Pattern

Workshop Tote Sew Along Posts

Fabric Options


8 Tips for Precise Piecing


How to Add An Interior Slip Pocket to Any Tote Bag


Simple Steps to Great Looking Gussets


Dyeing Webbing for Custom Bag Handles


8 Top Stitching Tips + Tricks


Using Tucks to Add Structure to Your Bag
Happy Sewing!

July Monthly Report

Happy August! It's time for July's monthly report. See past reports here.


I think I'm finally starting to gain a little project momentum. I'm still mostly finishing small projects, but I finished up some quilt backs and got two quilts sent out for quilting. I also crossed the half-way mark on my scrappy pineapple blocks! 23 blocks to go. I love working on this project!


I've been stash diving lately, making things from some hoarded prints, including a few drawstring bags. For this one I used some Briar Rose, Daisy Chain, and Insignia fabrics. Plus some of my favorite ruler twill tape! This is the Everything size, which is the same as the tutorial size.

Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial + Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern


I also stitched up a Project size drawstring bag using some barkcloth! I've never actually made anything with barkcloth, it was fun to work with. These colors and prints are so fun. The barkcloth is from In Theory, and the ties are made from my Curiosities print.

Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I'm tracking my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track my here. Here is how I did in July:

July Fabric
Used up: 11.5 yards
Brought in: 15 yards
Net: +3 yards
Year to date: +21 yards

July Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: +218 yards

I feel pretty good about this past month's fabric. This month was my second highest for used up fabric, and I didn't even finish a quilt! It was all from small projects. I brought in fabric for a new workshop tote (I'll be announcing the details for a sew along soon!) and then picked up some Terrestrial by Sarah Watson. I've had my eye on this collection since it was shown at Fall Market last year, so it was a long planned purchase. I also picked up some garment fabric remnants on sale from Imagine Gnats.


Did a little thrifting this month and found another vintage sheet in the package! Always exciting when that happens, and this is a really good one!


I am trying something new. I have been thinking about trying out needle-turn applique for a while and I finally decided to make a little test block to see if I like it. It's based on the Aerial Grove quilt from Savor Each Stitch by Carolyn Friedlander.


My sweet George bunny. Always looking so adorable!

Have a Great Month!

Summer Indigo Dyeing

In early July I mixed up an indigo dye vat and have been enjoying dipping things here or there over the last few weeks.


This is my fifth year experimenting with indigo dyeing. Now that we're in a house with a backyard, I have plenty of space, access to a hose, and space to store and maintain my dye vat. I've always had to dye a ton at once to get the most out of a dye vat and then dump it. Being able to store it and dye a little at a time has been amazing so far. I've never really been able to do much experimenting, with so much time in between dye sessions. Having access to a vat all summer has already allowed me to work through ideas. I feel like I've made so much progress and learned a lot.


You'd think I'd be tired of dyeing things blue, but I'm not. The entire experience is still so magical to me. The mystery of how a piece will turn out is still so exciting.

I use the Jaquard pre-reduced indigo, which is available on it's own and in a kit. For more on everything I use/do when I indigo dye, see my DIY Indigo Dyeing Tutorial.


If you're interested in trying out indigo dyeing, I highly encourage you to do so! It's really fun, a great group activity, and not hard.

Below I have photos of each piece I dyed this time in it's resisted (pre-dye) state, and then after it was dyed and washed.


Accordion folded and secured with clamps.


Accordion folded into a square and secured with clamps.


Accordion folded and then folded into triangles and secured with a clamp.


Accordion folded into a square and secured with clamps.


Long skinny tucks secured with several rubber bands each.


Accordion folded into a triangle and secured with wooden resist and clamps.


Accordion folded into a triangle and secured with clamp.


Accordion folded into a square and secured with clamps.


Long skinny of different sizes tucks secured with several rubber bands each.


Honeycomb folding using this tutorial.


Honeycomb folding using this tutorial.


Dipped with ribbon still intact holding squares together. (mini charm pack)


Long skinny tucks secured with several rubber bands each.


Long skinny tucks secured with several rubber bands each.


Long skinny tucks secured with several rubber bands each.

Check out my DIY Indigo Dyeing Tutorial for more.


This will not be my last indigo dyeing this summer, but I'm also looking forward to doing some dyeing with Procion MX dyes too!

Happy Dyeing!