Boxcar Tote Finished!

I finally finished the Boxcar Tote--check! And I love it so much I want to keep it. But I am sending it off to a good home, a surprise for an unsuspecting person. More on that later!

I will give a little review of the pattern and what I might do differently next time.

 This bag is pretty large. At first I didn't think I would like the size, but looking at it completed, I kind of love it. I can just imagine this being convenient for some large rulers, a stack of fabric, and lots of other supplies you would take to a sewing class. Next time I would sew a seam down the middle of the pockets to divide them. They are pretty large. It's too late to do that once you've assembled the bag as it is very unwieldy under the small throat space of my machine.

See those cute feet...I mean those chunky denim handles? I really loved that denim when I saw it in my stash. It is a nice neutral color and adds great textural variety. You can't tell, but it has a herringbone weave to it. However...that stuff gets really thick! This pattern calls for every piece to be interfaced with Pellon 809 Decor Bond. That's great for the structure of the bag. But next time I might consider not interfacing the denim. The handles were tough to turn and topstitch.

But look how nice it stands up on its own! I had fun adding those little scraps to the binding. Again, the denim was really thick and fussy to work with, so maybe I would choose a quilting weight next time. Or cut the binding on the bias to spread out the seams more.

The hardest part of this project was the binding around the top of the bag. The first time I tried it, I realized I needed to sew on a table big enough so that weight of the bag wasn't dragging and messing up the stitches. So I ripped it all out and tried again on my dining room table. Much better! But I still had a pretty hard time keeping my stitches even and straight, even using my edge stitch foot. Someone suggested using a walking foot. I would definitely try that next time. The other option is to hand sew, always a safe route. Looking at all the pretty pictures of others' Boxcar Totes on Instagram, I see so many pretty, neat, and straight bindings. I am just not good at machine binding! I am about to cry uncle on it and just hand sew!

I would recommend this pattern for a later beginner. Sewing the corners can be a little tricky, but definitely a good skill builder. The options for fabric choices on this project make it a great stash buster. And the final product is a sturdy, generously sized bag that will turn heads!

A friend brought me these dahlias from her garden. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

This one just takes my breath away.

One last little tidbit...I was at a yard sale today and fell in love with these antique quilts. They really had me in a swoon. But I looked at the price tags and then the condition of the quilts, and I just had to walk away. They were not in good enough shape for me to pay that much. Lots of soil, rips, and threadbare spots. It just kind of broke my heart, not that I couldn't buy them, but that they seemed neglected. Maybe someone will come along and give them the love they deserve.