Some Final Thoughts About the Professional Tote

My bright, sunny sewing bag...

Shortly after I completed my PT Project, I embarked on PT Project Phase II. I finished this one — which I now use as my sewing bag — on December 30, 2012. I love this colour combo. Even though the red/black/white scheme is a favourite of mine (like you can't tell by this blog), I almost like the look of this second bag more than the first. There is something very cheery about it!

Modifications worth mentioning when I made these Professional Totes... I didn't include the exterior band across the back (used to loop the bag over a suitcase handle), nor did I put a velcro closing on the back slip pocket. For the two end pockets, I made my own "rat tails" with scraps of fabric and used grommets instead of making button holes for the first bag; on the second bag, I just ran some elastic through the casing. The middle divider zippered pocket became an open pocket on my second bag, as I did not have any need for it to be secured. I also didn't put a flap on top of any inside pocket on my second bag.

Now for some thoughts on actually using the bag. I made the penguin bag as a travel carry-on. The first time I used it, however, I found that I could not stuff it under the seat in front of me. (What can I say, the Peltex is sturdy!) Moreover, I did not want to force it so that it would end up with permanent creases. So into the overhead compartment it had to go and all of a sudden, it was a lot less convenient for me. Just sayin'...

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And while I think that a regular Decor Bond interfaced bag may be able to be pushed under the seat, I'm not sure I would want to attempt it, particularly once it's filled to the brim with stuff. Overall, the bag is just a little big for my tastes. I also find that the placement of the middle divider pocket makes the two resulting compartments too restricting for what I need in a carry-on. Both times that I've used the bag, I've found myself saying, "I wish I had left the interior as one big space instead." Just things to keep in mind if you're considering taking on this project yourself. Think hard about how you intend to use it.

Mustn't forget to mention, however, that I have received compliments about the bag. It's always encouraging when your efforts are admired and appreciated.

Conquering the Professional Tote (Pt 4)

My completed Professional Tote...

I started working on the sewing part of the PT Project on October 28 and finished on November 10. I was not toiling full time, of course; I took a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there and made slow but steady progress.

Before that, apart from dealing with my interfacing woes, I measured and cut out pattern pieces on tissue paper to help guide me in cutting the fabric (since I don't have a rotary cutter). Sometimes I think that the preparation part of this project alone is enough to frighten away would-be crafters. I don't know how many hours it took me to cut and then fuse the interfacing to the required fabric pieces, but it was no small bit of work.

Even though the instructions provided in the pattern are fairly clear, some actual photos would have been nice, especially given the complexity. Drawings are provided, but they are two-dimensional and aren't entirely helpful for someone attempting a bag like this for the first time. (I suppose that's why this pattern is often covered in a sewing class.) There were one or two spots where I was totally stumped until, by accident, it occurred to me that this is what should be done.

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When broken down into their component parts, there is nothing extremely difficult about this pattern. Outside of a pocket flap, all of the pieces are rectangular; the sewing is all straight-away with no bends or curves. (In terms of all the interior pockets, I adjusted the size and quantity based on my fabric constraints.) There are three zippers, but even I — having been away from sewing for so long — did not find them intimidating. I even followed an alternate set of instructions from There She Sews to put in a separating zipper at the top of the bag. In hindsight, the most difficult part of the sewing was dealing with all of the bulk in the seams. (Yes, I had my unique challenge in that I was dealing with Peltex in some areas when it should have been Decor Bond, but even when I made my second tote — correctly — the seams were still the hardest part.)

Oh, and it was a huge struggle to turn this bag right side out again because of the Peltex!

Join me next week for some final thoughts on this project.

Conquering the Professional Tote (Pt 3)

Fabric all cut out...

It's October 21 when I finally put scissors to my Polar Party fabric... officially hitting the point of no return on the PT Project!

However, it turns out that I am going to be facing a more challenging project than I intended. Colleen — bless her heart and her seamstress experience — thought that in order to have this tote bag be sturdy enough not to flop over, bought me Pellon Peltex interfacing instead of the recommended Decor Bond.

Now, you have to understand that at this point, I am totally ignorant about the names of any interfacing, or in fact, what any of them might feel like. (It is not until I do some more searching on the internet later that I find a great little piece about interfacing from Sew Sweetness and eventually learn what all seamstresses need to know.) At the time, for all I knew, the Decor Bond was also stiff and cardboard-like. Turns out, not really. Not only does the Peltex feel a lot different from the Decor Bond, it also comes in a narrower width. The amount that I have is not enough to go under all of my fabric pieces, but then — at the thickness that this stuff brings — I don't want it under all of my fabric pieces.

So you guessed it: I had to decide which fabric pieces would get the treatment and which wouldn't. (I also had to remove strips of the Peltex from along the seams to keep them from getting too thick.) When Colleen came over to check on my progress and bring me the remainder of my fabric (see photo at top), she agreed that no amount of "adjustment" would make the top zipper section workable if I continued to use the Peltex. So, some Decor Bond was going to come my way after all.

On October 28, I finally dropped my sewing machine's needle into fabric and sewed the bag's straps.

A very clean join if I do say so myself!

And so the adventure continues...

Conquering the Professional Tote (Pt 2)

Disclosure: I'm a bit of a techie. I am an IT consultant by trade and have had my own personal computer since 1986, back when people stored their data on large "floppy" disks, stared at text on monochrome monitors and wrestled with a user interface called DOS. So it stood to reason that before I embarked on the scary professional tote project (hereafter to be referred to as the PT Project), I wanted to mitigate the possibility of any bad things happening by using some technical know-how.

By that, I mean that I wanted to see what the bag was going to look like before I committed to using the fabrics for specific elements.

For instance, I only had one yard of the Polar Party fabric, which did not fully match the requirement for either the main or contrast fabric as dictated by the PT pattern. So from the beginning, I knew I had to make some decisions as to how to use this fabric to its best advantage. Colleen had located a coordinating black and white floral/stripe fabric from her stash, but this too was not in a sufficient quantity to meet my needs. No matter. I had already decided that I wanted a somewhat funky interior, so using up to four different fabrics for the lining and pockets would not be an issue.

In the meantime, with the help of PaintShop Pro, TechieMe came up with some images of how the two fabrics that I had could be used to make the bag. I actually came up with four different combinations, but I finally settled on this one (although in the end, I had enough of the Polar Party fabric that I didn't have to run the black floral all the way up the sides):

CG image of what my bag might look like, front and back...

It was now October 12 and I was starting to get excited about my continued PT Project. :-)

Conquering the Professional Tote (Pt 1)

So as it turned out, the gorgeous tote bag that my friend made in her sewing class was not a project for the faint of heart. After I searched the internet for the pattern, I came across many opinions about it that were definitely not encouraging to a person who had not sewn a stitch for literally decades.

The pattern was The Professional Tote by designer Laura Martell of The Creative Thimble. And unlike most other patterns found online — which I really wasn't "in the know" about at the time anyway — her pattern is on old-fashioned paper, delivered by regular snail mail (or found at your local sewing shop).

Anyway, I took the plunge on September 23 and made the purchase, thereby committing myself to this huge undertaking. I guess I was inspired by the popular thought of "go big or go home". I was either going to make a big splash and prove to myself that I [still] had what it takes to sew or I was going to crash and burn in a big way.

In the meantime, while I waited for the mailman to deliver my pattern, I started the work of gathering up materials. Luckily I have a friend Colleen who, as a former seamstress, was able to source out most of what I needed in terms of notions and fabric.

On September 26, I found this last yard of a discontinued Robert Kaufman design called Polar Party on Etsy.com. (And that simple sentence manages to convey three things that I previously didn't know: the existence of Etsy, the fact that fabrics have "designers", and that fabric designs have names.)

I snatched it up, determined to craft my bag around it. It was thus that I committed deeper to the project; there was no turning back now.