Bag pattern Archives - Kustom Kwilts

Love the look of a sleek, modern tote? I’ve got you. The Florence Market Tote pattern is a large carry all bag with a simple, but modern design to really upgrade your basic tote. It’s great for trips to the library, farmer’s market, or wherever you need to load up on supplies. The standard pattern tells you how to piece the exterior with Half-square triangles using the 8 at a time method to save time. This is great for the two color samples I have sewn up–or alternatively, you can grab some fabric scraps and make your individual half square triangles.

This pattern includes

Instructions for the Half-square triangle version on the cover of the pattern
A shortcut to skip straight to a wholecloth bag
Fabric labels that will help you easily and quickly identify every cut piece in your pattern
Panel of pockets to wrangle your phone, pens, and other slender items
An interior zip pocket
An inset zipper at the top of the bag that will keep all your precious contents contained
The option to skip all the pockets for a fast finish

I named this pattern after my maternal grandmother, Florence. She was always such a huge inspiration to me, and an amazing artist. She loved to paint, whether it was watercolor or oil paintings, and really had a knack for color. I miss her dearly, and I think she would have loved this tote!

The Florence Market Tote pattern has been years in the making, and I’ve made tons of versions! I love the look of the standard, HST version that is featured on the cover. You can re-arrange the Half square triangles to make the bag your own in whatever arrangement you like! And….I’ve got kits for those!

Kits for the Florence Market Tote

Florence Market Tote in freesia and ameythst — Quilted with the Raindrops on water pantograph

Quilted with the Raindrops on water pantograph

Wholecloth Versions

There are also instructions for what size you need if you’d prefer a quick Florence Market Tote wholecloth bag. I like to use big panels of my free motion quilting practice to turn them into bags instead of wasted yardage. If you have directional fabric, you can easily cut the fabric into two pieces and assemble the panel to be a wholecloth piece with both pieces of fabric facing the opposite direction. Solids really make the quilting pop on the wholecloth bags.

Quilted using a pantograph by Karlee Porter

Spellbound Version

And as you may know, I am a sucker for English Paper Piecing. I love making big quilts, like my Spellbound quilt, but sometimes I like to do less demanding projects. I pieced some of my Spellbound pieces together into a panel and made an awesome bag to showcase some of my favorite Tula Pink Daydreamer prints.

My Spellbound EPP pattern cut down to make a panel for the Florence market tote. Quilted with Modern curves pantograph

Additional Kits for the Scrappy Plus EPP tote:

And I’ve got some fabulous kits for you to piece your own panel to make a Scrappy Plus EPP Florene Market Tote. These kits include everything you need to piece the exterior panel (but do not include the Florence Market Tote Pattern–sold separately).

Tula Pink original solids with black and white stripe

This bag with the fussy cut stripes is one of my favorites!! I love using solids for EPP because you can stack and whack and make your cutting time dissolve into nothing. The kits I offer for this come with the solid fabrics labeled for easy identification and a helpful EPP guide printed in full color.

Tula Pink Unicorn Poop and Dragon’s Breath solids

The Mythical solids (Unicorn Poop and Dragon’s Breath) by Tula Pink version is another favorite. I used modern curves as the panto to quilt this one up and the EPP kit I have for this also comes with a full color guide and all of the fabrics labeled for easy identification.

Tiny Beasts/Tiny Coordinates Florence market tote – kit coming soon

I’m so excited to finally share this pattern with you. I feel like I have been working on it for years and perfecting each version so it will bring you SO much joy when you make it. I hope you’ll share your makes with me using #florencemarkettote . Thanks for reading, friend!

Today is the official release day for the Mamacita Tote Pattern! Hip hip hooray!!! I’d love to tell you the story behind this pattern and why it’s so dear to me.

When I first started sewing, I loved to make things that were useful (that still applies today). I love the feeling I get when I plan a project and sewing that last stitch, and the overwhelming feeling of pride I get when I know I made something that I love (or someone else will love). I loved quilting, but I loved making bags even more. I used to be an agriculture science teacher, so my purses were always getting filthy from being at stock shows and around livestock all the time. I did some research on fabrics that were easy to clean, and I came across oilcloth. Long story short, oilcloth is a wonderful fabric that doesn’t fray, wipes clean, and, in my experience, has a ridiculously long life. So I’m going to show you my very first go at what evolved into today’s Mamacita Tote:

It isn’t exactly swoon worthy, but I loved it. I used this bag for about a week before I realized the importance of interfacing and stabilizer in a bag this size, and made from all oilcloth. It didn’t stand up on its own and was pretty floppy. Also, when you sew with oilcloth, the holes made by the needle are permanent. That means if you don’t lengthen your stitches, you’ll get lots of perforations that will weaken the fabric. Hence, sewing the straps directly to the oilcloth where all the weight will be stressing the fabric = terrible idea. I still have this bag in my sewing room and love to bring it out and see how far my design has come since January 2013. That’s right. This pattern has been FIVE YEARS in the making.

I needed a better way to attach the straps and I wanted a more stable, sturdy bag. So another year of trying out different things and I came up with using large drapery grommets as the strap attachments. I really loved this, but after I got a package of grommets from the manufacturer and they were all cracked from shipping, it was time to rethink using them. I couldn’t risk having one break and then go through the hassle of replacing them all the time. Quality supplies are my top priority.

I really like embroidering the vinyl or quilting it (or both!) and adding unique embellishments to make each bag unique. Late in 2017, I have the absolute best version of this bag that I could dream of. I’ve made over 200 of these bags, and even sell custom Mamacitas on Etsy. They have an updated strap attachment that is stylish and functional, and I love the look of them. I recently made my favorite Mamacita Tote EVER from Tula Pink’s latest line- De La Luna in quilting cotton. Although I really like using oilcloth for the lining since it’s so easy to clean, I love the bright and vibrant colors in Tula’s line, so I’ll sacrifice the wipability for that, and just try really hard to keep my 1.5 year old from spilling her milk in it 😉

The Mamacita Tote has been my ultimate labor of love, and I know this pattern by heart. I love that the lining keeps me organized with all the pockets, and that I can still be stylish or trendy with my fabrics. Every time I make one, I remember how much I’ve grown as a sewist and how much I’ve learned from all my trial and error and fearlessness as a novel sewer. I’d love to see your take on the Mamacita Tote and I hope you’ll share your creations with me (use the hashtag #mamacitatote or tag me @kustomkwilts) so I can see the amazing work you’ve done!

Tag: Bag pattern

Florence Market Tote Pattern