Runing Away From Home Tote

One of the compensations for having my dining room full of other peoples quilting discards for the Quilt Show next year, is that I get to see all the magazines and books that will be sold.  The April 2009 issue of McCall's Quilting really caught my eye with a pattern for a huge tote bag.

The added bonus was that this tote is made out of five inch squares of fabrics and I needed a project for just those ingredients for a group project in November.

Here's how mine turned out:

It is about 20" wide, 10" deep and 15" tall.  The fabric I used is called 9 by Sanae and I used two Moda Charm packs, and a few strips from a Jelly roll to make this bag.  I did change the pattern slightly. 

The pattern called for three layers of fusible fleece, I used two layers.  The closure was supposed to be velcro but I used a tab weighted with a drapery weight.  I also added little feet to the bottom of the bag to protect it from the floor.

This thing is huge and would probably hold everything needed for a couple of days on the road.  My vision is that Alex and I will pack up and hit the road for a few days with all I need in this bag, and everything he needs filling up my trunk.

Have a great week!