Supertote Completed!

I am happy to have completed the Supertote, a pattern by Noodlehead.  I had the pieces cut out for almost a month but didn't get around to putting it together until July 4th, when I had an entire day off work to sew.  I have to admit it was kind of lonely with all sorts of gatherings going on and me all by my lonesome.  Recently my husband took off with the girls to go visit relatives.  I couldn't go because I had to work on Friday, but it was the perfect time stitch up the Supertote bag.  I plan on giving it to my friend, who picked out the fabric.  Little did she know when she pointed to this Laurel Burch fabric, saying it was her favorite, it would one day be used to make her a birthday present.  I also used some purple denim.  I didn't have enough of the Burch fabric so I used fabric from a different designer for the lining.

I like Anna's patterns because she has clear instructions and lots of photos.  The more photos the better as far as I'm concerned.  I also learned some important lessons.  For instance, I accidentally cut the lining of the pocket with the top part on the bias. Boy did I suffer trying to stitch together the pocket with the lining and all the stretching that happened.  I ripped it out and tried it again with no success. I also had to make sure I didn't rip out any of the piping stitches, aggh.  I was looking for another piece of fabric to use, but nothing seemed to fit as far as coordinating color.  I finally figured out a solution by putting on the bias some Wonder Tape. Love it!  Worked like a charm. No shifting. It worked so well I used it to help put the zipper on so I didn't have to mess with pins.  Another thing I would do different is to mark around the corners the 1/2 inch stitching line, because I was all over the place stitching around those corners.  I also had to get used to sewing with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  It seemed so big after working with a scant 1/4 inch seam.  The back was rather boring so I appliquéd a section of the fabric and stitched it down following the lines already on the design.  I learned to do a set in zipper and to put in a magnetic snap (this is where I give myself a pat on the back and smile). I hope she likes it.  She loves purple, which is good because there is a lot of purple going on.

Front with pocket

Back with appliquéd fabric.

Snap closure

Purple & yellow - Vikings colors!

Four different colored fabrics for the inside.