Pocket Tote Pattern
I love pockets. I mean, who doesn't love a pocket? Pockets are important. Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux wrote a whole book about how pockets reflect the history of women's lives, and how pockets evolved with the evolution of textiles. Very cool.
Pockets are functional. They're ornamental and beautiful. They’re secretive. Their contents are demonstrative. If you're going to sew, you should know how to put in a pocket. So talking with Forge Friends for a whiiiile about how I love pockets and want learn more about them, it was suggested I create a pocket class where the students have something functional they can take home.
Voila the Pocket Practice Tote! Bags are simple and functional, so I decided to create one with a patch pocket and two inseam pockets (including a side seam pocket like you might have in a skirt or pants). For the first draft (and second) I used some leftover fabrics that I liked, so this bag can be easily made with stuff from your stash. Or you can buy some new fabric and make it fancy.
It all starts with an idea.
After drafting a pattern by hand, and constructing the first iteration, I decided to try digitizing the pattern in Adobe illustrator so that it's easy to share with students and fellow sewists. Having digitized the pattern into a straight up file that can be printed at a print shop and also into a tiled file that folks can print at home, I printed out the tiles (pages), taped them them together, and have constructed a second bag. A couple of tweaks needed to be made to the pattern file. I’m in the process of finishing that up.
Next steps.
Now it’s time to type up the instructions and have somebody else print out the pattern and make the tote. We’ll see what other tweaks need to be made. Squeak! More will be revealed…