Just Because

I came home tonight with the need to do something - something I could finish tonight, specifically. I decided to try this basic tote from Simple Sewing. A little linen, even less of a decorative fabric, under two hours in the sewing room (no tears), and I have a new bag. It'll be perfect for a knitting project, a book and my wallet or a small shopping trip. It's sweet and it gave me that feeling of having accomplished something that I was craving.

I've looked at Lotta's directions for this bag several times recently, and each time I couldn't figure out what she was doing. It is very different from the tote pattern I made up when I made my grandmother's bag. What she's doing, it turns out, is giving some strength to the bag - there's no bottom seam to be stressed (that's just the fold in the fabrics) and the bottom panel is sewn on to the main panel giving you double thickness where all the weight settles. Genius.