sometimes life doesn't turn out to be a bowl if cherries . . .

I am dangerous.  I started off wanting to make another tote similar to the very first one I made but a little larger.  Then I started thinking how much I would like it if it only had one shoulder strap and looked more like a hobo bag.  But I still wanted it reversible. made of canvas, and summery. 

So I called Joanie and dragged her off to Jo-Ann Fabrics to look for canvas.  When my nose failed to ferret out the stuff, I asked one of the clerks, who graciously showed me the entire back wall of canvas . . . 50% off.  Swoon.  After much to-do, I settled on a blue, yellow and white floral pattern with a complementary blue, yellow and white striped fabric and headed home to my sewing nook. 

I was working essentially off this pattern, which meant I had to create my own from scratch.  Call in the troops . . .  the 9TS obligingly helped with the angles and corners.  Good man that 9TS.  My first boo boo was that my fabric was not tall enough for the pattern and I hadn't bought enough to lay it the other way.  Sound familiar.  I do it every time. 

 No problem, I would just lay the bottom on the fold rather than cut a seam I was just going to stitch up anyway and get my extra 5/8" fabric back!!!  I am so smart.  Until I read on and really, I needed a gap in the lining from which to reverse the entire tote.  Back to cutting and feeling slightly more than dense. 

Everything was progressing fairly well until, even though I had carefully laid out the pattern on the striped fabric so the stripes would match, they did not.  I swear, an entire 3/8th of an inch of fabric yelled, "Up boys, scooch over a little and make her crazy." and they did.  Sigh,

So now I know, this is not going to be a reversible bag . . . not that the instructions ever claimed it would be.  And still the fabric was in revolt . . . which it tends to do after being sliced and diced, pinned and poked . . . not that I blame it.   I inserted, what would be the loop closure over a button, in between the lining and the outside, I was so careful to line everything up.  But the troops were on a roll and as soon as I looked away, their friends the pins, each moved a little off center.   The result is a mismatched closure.  No fear. I will tell people it is a creative decoration . . .

And so, it is completed.  Not quite as anticipated but bright and summery and happy go lucky.  YAY!!!!