my 241 tote

The lovely Anna of Noodlehead released her latest bag pattern on Friday, the 241 Tote. I snatched up the pattern right away and decided to make it my weekend project. I've said it before, and I'll say it again-- I'm not a pattern person. I have a very hard time following directions and tend to either give up on them or ignore them completely and try to do my own thing. But not this time. In fact, this was the first bag I've ever made from a pattern.

Anna definitely knows what she's doing. The pattern itself was written perfectly. Not a single error to be found! The curved construction was challenging enough to keep me on task. There are two options-- I chose the option with the exterior side pockets for my first try.

All in all, it only took a few hours to make, and will go much faster the next time around. I think choosing fabrics took the longest. I used a printed linen and striped cotton for the main exterior fabrics (from this shop) and denim shot cotton and a mustard japanese fabric for the pockets. The lining is mustard shot cotton.

I picked my fabrics, cut all of the pieces (save interfacing, which I picked up yesterday-- can you believe I didn't even know woven interfacings existed before now?), made the strap, and placed the interior pocket and magnetic snaps into the lining during naptime on Friday. I sewed everything else up last night in less than an hour after the kids went to bed. It felt so good to get it done, and I can't wait to load it up and use it tomorrow. Thanks Anna for making such a great pattern!