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A tiny tote for my reusable makeup remover pads... |
My single use cloths are tucked away in a drawer packaged in their original dispenser. It seemed to me that these new pads were pretty enough to be
stored out in the open.
One of my fabric origami projects was already sitting on the side of the tub
in my bathroom. I found a spare corner and tucked some of the pads in there.
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This origami basket holds some free skincare products that I received from Shoppers Drug Mart last year... |
Looking across the tub, however, I spied my Purl Bee Penguin standing
in the corner with a little purse hanging from its beak.
I could only fit three of the pads in this tiny purse, but I took to the idea. (After all, I started this sewing journey a little over nine years ago by making a tote bag.) And it didn't take long for the right project to pop up on YouTube.
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| But it was this that gave me the idea to make a tiny tote... |
My tiny tote bag is based on a tutorial from a channel called
Tendersmile Handmade. It's called DIY How To Make Open Wide Zipper pouch and was
uploaded on November 30, 2021 if you want to search for it. And yes, as the
name suggests, the original version was made with a zipper, as shown here.
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| image courtesy of Tendersmile Handmade (YouTube)... |
A zipper would just get in the way for my needs, so I made a
modified (and therefore much easier) version without one. I also left the
bag with a tapered body — i.e., wider at the top than at the bottom — by
omitting the pleats that were sewn into the sides at the end.
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| This holds all ten of my pads... |
The original style of the pouch is certainly appealing and well worth it,
however, especially if you're a beginner bag maker. (I'll expound on that
later.)
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| My finished tote hanging from my magnifying mirror... |
It took me less than two hours to watch the video, cut pertinent parts to a Word doc, and make the thing.
For fabric, I looked to my baskets of Eclectic Elements fat quarters, figuring that I could find some suitable scraps to patchwork the
required rectangles. Turns out that I had a discarded piece from something
that I obviously changed my mind about making that I could use.
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| an abandoned WIP having a second life... |
Forgot to take a "before" picture, but you can see how this was a series
of squares sewn up in a diamond patchwork fashion. (The gray-toned fabric
is a Boundless DECOdent selection from the original
Craftsy.)
The lining pieces came from my old standby of a beige bedsheet, while the
bag straps were yet another remnant of an Eclectic Elements fabric last seen on this
match box.
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| Changed the installation of the straps... |
Instead of sewing the straps onto the bag, I fastened them with
rivets. When I topstitched around the top, I angled the straps and sewed them
down as well, since they were otherwise a bit floppy.
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| Practice making a regular sized bag by making a mini one... |
What I want to highlight about this particular video tutorial, however, are
the lessons that can be learned about bag making.
The process of making this miniature tote is totally representative of how a full sized bag is constructed. For example, if you've never done boxed corners, you get to see how the technique creates considerable depth and width.
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| Big and roomy boxed bottom... |
At the same time, it also demonstrates what boxed bottoms do to an otherwise rectangular shape... the resulting container has a tapered opening unless you add "pleats" at the top to form defined corners.
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| A boxed bottom bag can hold a lot! |
Also, you get to see how much of the panel gets used up forming the base of the bag. (I must admit that whenever I make a boxed bottom item, I typically forget that a large part of the fabric will end up unseen or hidden underneath.)
Another lesson to be learned is how to install zippers. (Again, I didn't
put one on this bag, but the original project includes one.) A zipper with
an exposed (tabbed) end is a professional looking finish. Practice it here
and it'll be perfect when it comes time to do it on an actual purse.
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| Side view... |
I think it's great that sewing skills like these can be learned while
making something small that won't break your fabric budget.
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| A fun and functional project! |
That said, I didn't need all the lessons and wanted my tote to fit my particular needs,
so I made it my way. ◕‿↼
'Til next...
Great minds think alike Rochelle, as I recently made this same little bag with the zipper closure and a few minor changes. It's good that you made changes that suited your needs. I just wanted to make this bag and I wanted to try using Liquid Vinyl on the exterior (a product that turns any fabric into a stain and waterproof fabric, from Thermoweb). I love my little bag and yours is so nice and useful too.
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