Tote Bag Workshop

About

The Tote is a timeless bag that looks smart and elegant, whilst being simple to make. You will leave with a bag you'll be proud to say "My bag? I made it!"

The Tote is perfect for beginners as it has no fiddly closures or curves, but will introduce you to some basic bag making techniques including how to sew a zipped pocket into the lining. You will receive full written instructions and a pattern to take away with you, along with free entry to the closed Facebook Stitch-a-Long Group where you will find further tips and tricks, video tutorials, a bonus pattern for adding a recessed zip top, and lots of help and inspiration.

The bag features a roomy interior, reinforced base with optional bag feet, leather handles and optional matching buckle. You will need to bring half a metre of an outer fabric (tweed, upholstery weight, canvas) and half a metre of a lining fabric (quilt weight cotton, lawn) but if your fabric requires pattern matching it would be sensible to bring 1 metre if you can. We will provide everything else, including interfacing, interlining, leather handles etc.

You will also need your regular domestic sewing machine (which you should be confident in threading and using to a basic level), scissors, pins and matching thread. Please bring a zipper foot for your machine if you have one, and quilters' clips if you own them. Don't worry if not, pins will be fine.

There will be a materials charge of £20 payable to the tutor on the day.

Emma is a self taught seamstress with a background in art history. She started stitching bags because she couldn't find what she liked in the shops. Emma says: "I like practical, but pretty bags without too much bling. I love tweed and gorgeous printed fabric, and I couldn't understand why the inside of bags was always more boring than the outside when there was so much choice out there. So I started making bags with really pretty linings"

"I live in rural Cumbria, with my husband and children, in the middle of nowhere and happily surrounded by fields and wildlife. I love the peace and beauty of the countryside" (Sounds like she'll be right at home at Hare Hill Barn! Ed.)

Refreshments and a two course homemade lunch are included in the day.

We continue to be cautious about Covid19 and will follow Government guidelines.