Bag of the Week 31

Hand-dyed Tote

A number of years ago our ASG Chapter held a challenge.  Everyone who wished to participate was asked to create a tote bag from one of Nancy Zieman’s (then free) patterns.  At our annual meeting everyone brought their bag to show off.  It was amazing to see how everyone interpreted this simple tote bag.  Lots and lots of creativity.

At that time I was very interested in hand dying fabrics.  I had dyed a number of fabrics in a graduated colorway between pink (red) and blue and had just completed a vest using some of these fabrics.  I had lots of scraps left over so I decided to use them in this project.

The bag features a flying geese pieced panel around the top and folded prairie points below.  I embroidered my initial using variegated thread in the same colors (but I must admit I didn’t care for the striped effect I ended up with).  There is an external pocket with a zipper closure between the handles. 

I’m planning a detailed series of posts on the hand dying procedure and showcasing some of the other projects I made with this same fabric.  Check back.