The Knitting Bag

I don't splurge on expensive fabrics -- but when I do, I use every. last. scrap. The reasonsing is two-fold: if I spent more than usual it's probably because it's a fabric that I love, and having spent more than usual I'm determined to get every last penny out of my yardage! That's why I'm posting yet another project with Birch Fabric's Flight Canvas in Mineral, paired with grey linen.

There are probably thousands of tote patterns and tutorials on the interwebs -- from the very basic to the complex. I usually keep scrolling, knowing that it would only take about 2.5 seconds to find a pattern if I ever neede done. But for some reason, when I spotted the 1 Hour Reversible Tote by Haberdashery Fun, I was taken! So taken that I started one almost immediately. It helped that I've been wanting a dedicated knitting bag for some time now, and I knew this was the perfect candidate.

Perfect, indeed! The size and shape are just right -- not overly large for small projects, but big enough to tote a medium sized project. Granted, mine is not reversible -- primarily because I decided to use a brushed white cotton duck (from a salvaged Pottery Barn curtain panel) as the lining. But I wasn't really interested in reversible, so that worked out just fine! I put in a little pocket just for kicks; sometimes it's nice to keep little things from to the bottom of one's bag.

I am definitely running low on my Flight canvas (I've already made a stroller canopy and a diaper clutch from the 2 or 2 1/2 yards I bought), so I ended up piecing the front panel to make it work. I'm actually glad I did, because I think it looks better that way and I like the topstitching on the linen!

With no webbing on hand and no patience to wait for my next fabric store trip, I used extra linen for the straps. I'm using this as a knitting bag, so I have no concerns about durability! The linen is definitely a tad "floppy" (though I could have stiffened it with interfacing if I'd felt like it), but I like it. I didn't interface the canvas and linen, either, because the lining was so stiff, and it seems to have just enough structure for my purposes.

I think what really got me about this bag was the handle construction -- for some reason, I love the slight curve in the front, and the way the binding creates the handles. It's so simple (much easier than the average tote bag handle construction, in my opinion), and is just a little something special. All of the topstitching is in a thread color that matches the canvas; again, a decision I made out of laziness that turned out well!

 Now that my knitting projects have a reliable mode of transportation, the only question remaining is,  "What am I going to do with the two 8x14" pieces of canvas that I have left?" Oh, the possibilities! *wink*