Basket Weave Tote Ta-Dah!

My new Basket Weave Tote Bag is finished, and oh how efficient of me, it is already written up and available here for your hooky pleasure!

You might remember it started off as one big rectangle of (what I am calling) larger basket weave. I had that all finished on Tuesday and was going to sew it up when I noticed that both the left and right hand sides of the bag had the same direction 'weave'. So annoying but these things happen when you start making something with no plan beforehand.

I considered making the join at the back of the bag so no one would really see this clear mistake, but that seemed like a real cop out. I also considered just doing a strip of the larger basket weave and trying to sew it in very neatly so the join wasn't visible. I don't have that much confidence in my sewing skills so that left me pondering what else I could put in as a panel, to maybe add a bit of interest to this otherwise fairly plain bag. 

I started messing around and this is what I came up with; in keeping with the overall weave effect, simple neat and quick!

 Yes, very pleased with that.

I decided to make the straps of the bag in the same small weave and sewed it all together yesterday morning.

I was really aching to add some colour to it, the cream on it's own was just too dull. Lining! simple, easy, practical and pretty!

I settled on using the pale green fabric with little flowers and cherries on, I absolutely love this fabric and it comes in all sorts of colours, I must replenish my supplies soon.

I dragged the sewing machine out from under the dust covers in the spare room and ran up a very simple lining for the bag and sewed it in place. 

Ta-Dah!

I am very pleased with it. Considering I made it in yarn that was convenient, not what I necessarily wanted to be using and that I made it up off the top of my head, I think it has turned out very nicely.

So on to the next thing! We have been lucky to have some sunny spells in between the rain and at every available opportunity I have been decamping to the picnic bench with a cuppa and my hook to get started on a gift I am making for a friend. 

Again I have limited colour choice but that is mainly because I am running very low in this Rico creative cotton, something else I need to replenish very soon. But at last, crocheting with colours! It makes me so happy, I love this lime green. This will also give me the chance to make some little flowers and things. I do like making big repetitive patterns but I so enjoy making pretty little things too - which could be why I always have so many things on the go. This has a deadline of Saturday so I can't take too long with it :)

XXX