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I hope everybody is having a great day, whether it’s a holiday where you are or not.  I’m not all that big on Independence Day, but I am big on barbecue, so we’ve got burger patties thawing, potato salad chilling, and vegetables marinating here.  It’s WAY too hot to go out and watch fireworks (still over 100F every day here), but I may be able to endure our patio for long enough to grill dinner.  We’ll see.

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Is it my memory distorting things, or was everything in the ’70s covered in huge bright shapes?  I was a kid, so maybe it was just all the stuff for kids that looked like that.  I remember a dress that my mother made for my sister that had big cartoony apples on it and a zipper up the front . . . the unfortunate thing was that she didn’t realize it was a directional print until it was too late, so all the apples were upside-down.  (Is there a sewer who has never done that?)

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This fabric reminds me of those big graphic prints and has some very ’70s colors in it, especially the orange and avocado.  I suspect it may be vintage–my googling was inconclusive–but what really matters to me is that it makes me smile.

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The pattern is a McCall’s from 2002 that I’ve used to make a tote bag before.  I wanted a little bit bigger one this time, so I added a few inches to the width.  The plan is to use this for weekends away (though I did find it STILL a bit too small for our camping trip).

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I used the leftover green flannel from my last travel bag for the lining here.  The handles and pocket lining are black duck.  Only new component to this project is the outer fabric, which I bought at SCRAP Tri-Cities.

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This pattern is a little unusual in that, instead of lots of pockets inside, it has big ones on the outside.  To make them a little bit more useful, I sewed some huge snaps on them to keep them closed.

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Then I sat back and looked at the bag and debated.  Yeah, it’s got that huge wild print on it, but it feels like it needs a little something more . . . .

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Yep, that’s what it needed.

I rummaged through my beads and found a couple black glass donuts and two bright pink wood beads and added them to the pockets right over the snaps.  It was a bit of a trial sewing them on; I really hate beading needles, and I’m pretty sure I threw mine away in a fit of OH SO GRUMPY, but I could have used one here.  The beads may not survive the laundry (must remember to cover them with foil!), but for now I’m loving the contrasting textures they add to the bag.

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Have a great day, everybody!

STH