MEOW. I'm a cat lover. Cats have such a unique personality and always into whatever I'm doing. Love them. So when I came across this cat patterned duck canvas fabric I couldn't resist, so I bought 4 yards. That was over 8 years ago. What was my plan - I had none.
Going through my stash and staying focused on using my stash and UFOs I decided it was time to commit on a project - or two or three, using my cat print (lots of fabric to use up). Art Gallery Fabrics has an excellent website with Lookbooks to inspire all sewing enthusiasts. If you haven't discovered their Lookbooks yet, check it out. Warning - it's addicting. I have a folder on my laptop for patterns from their Lookbooks for future projects. You could say it's my UFO idea projects folder and oh my there are many. One of their free patterns was for a cute purse called the Sand Bag. The graphic design on my cat fabric was a perfect match for this bag.
It's cutie. The bag measures 16 1/2 inches wide by 12 inches high. And in my construction process I did put on my own twist from the pattern. Instead of using clothesline for the handles I used nylon marine poly rope that was wider and sturdier. In fact it was very easy to sew over to attach the handles. I added a large button to the center and made two different sized pom poms to dangle in the front. Can't wait to flash my new purse around town.
But wait - there is still lots of yardage. Before it ends up back in my stash I want to stay on a roll and create another bag.
My little granddaughter loves cats and loves books. Her mom and dad take her regularly to the library. So I made her a book tote to carry her books from this cat fabric. It measures 10 inches high by 14" wide. The bottom is boxed to help hold a couple books. I used foam for the handles so they wouldn't bunch up from the weight of carrying the books.
Well, there is still more fabric. Next I made myself a shopping tote. One of my favorite totes is one I bought at Trader Joes. It's canvas - easy to wash and comfortable to carry. This cat fabric will be fun to tote around the stores with all my goodies. I avoid plastic bags all costs.
Measuring the Trader Joes tote and using it as a pattern I constructed a tote.
You might say these projects are the cat's meow.
Although I don't sew a lot in the summer - these quick projects are rewarding, quick and fun. I only bought the marine rope to complete my purse, everything else was from my stash. Yeah.
Our nights are getting cooler and the days are starting to get shorter, which is a sign that summer is winding down. It's sad to let these summer days pass, but I'm recharged to tackle those UFOs.
