Flea Market Tote Bag

How many times have I gone to IKEA and forgotten to bring my blue IKEA bag?  I get up to the register and have to buy yet another blue IKEA bag.  That's a very clever trick, IKEA Corporate, but that won't work anymore!  Behold the “Left Bank Granny Bag”,  which is pictured here on the cover of the book in which the pattern resides. 

The book says it was designed to carry the junk you pick up in flea markets, which is one activity I plan on using it for.  I think I found out about this book from someone’s blog.  I got my copy from Amazon, but my sister says they also have it at Barnes & Noble.  There’s a lot of good stuff in here but it really isn’t recommended for the beginning sewer. However, this particular bag was actually pretty easy. The book includes paper patterns or, as in the case with this bag, detailed diagrams are provided.  I made myself a paper pattern rather than doing something reckless like drawing it out on the fabric. Don’t do that!

 

The fabric is a (discontinued?) heavy cotton from IKEA and the lining is some nice blue, medium-weight cotton I got at JoAnn’s.  The book suggests lining it with cotton twill, but I’m glad I didn’t choose anything that heavy.  The stuff I used works just fine and I don’t see that the bag really needs that heavy a lining.  Surprisingly, this thing maintains its shape pretty well and is very easy to carry.  Don’t be fooled by its over-sized demeanor. It’s perfectly proportioned (unless you are a really tiny person).  I put a bunch of junk in it one day and it managed things just fine.

There is, however, a flaw in one of the diagrams.  You have to cut out two top edge bands and then fold them lengthwise.  But I suspect the measurement given is for the finished size when folded.  You can see that the upper band on my bag is too thin. As is typical, I didn’t even notice it while I was sewing.  Am I going to bother to unpick all those stitches and make a new band?  Ha! I laugh at that!

I really wanted this bag and envisioned an afternoon struggling with the heavy fabric and with me saying, “Boy, I’ll never make one of these again!”.  But, no! I do plan to make this again.  It was fun and easy.  You just have to find yourself the appropriate needle and take your time.  The only part that will slow you down are the pleats.  You have to adjust them yourself – there are no markings for them.

It calls for a zippered interior pocket.  I didn’t like the way they wanted me to put this thing in, so I made sort of a zippered patch pocket instead.  This bag’s instructions includes a matching drawstring bag, which I may make.  Who knows? I have a lot of that fabric left.

(See the orange zipper just peaking out, there?)

 

The only change I made, aside from the pocket, was to edge-stitch the bottom corners (are those technically corners?)  I think it adds a little definition to it.  You can just see what I mean off to the left, there.  See how the edge is a bit squarish?

And it’s machine-washable!  So, all-in-all: a success!