Clover & Violet's Sophie Beach Tote!

Here's a big reveal! A couple weeks ago Jennie @ Clover & Violet asked if I'd like to sew up an example of one of their patterns (there shop is here). Of course I said yes - and here it is!! Now Clover & Violet has some awesome patterns, but this one spoke to my aesthetic a bit more than the others. It is so fabulous!!

Washi tape fabric!

First I started planning - I had to wait for these fabrics to be delivered - but they were well worth the wait! I had really wanted to use Heath in steel grey instead of the natural solid... but I just couldn't swing a trip downtown to the Needle Shop for some -- so natural it was!

 Next pinwheels happened. 32 pinwheels to be exact. In retrospect I maybe should have used Thangles... since they ease the headache of drawing those lines down the middle for HST's. But all in all I'm really pleased with how perfect the points lined up! (I used some of the charm squares that I received from Marilyn in my DQS12 package for these pinwheels - perfection!).

 I stayed up rather late a couple nights in a row for this one. (pardon the night time pictures!). Once I got started I just didn't want to stop! This project really surprised me in that once I had the outer part of the bag layed out (picture below), I really wanted it to be a baby quilt... even though it's not really my normal style for a baby quilt - it's so cute!

Sorry for this terrible picture - but it was so precious hanging there!
I had to take a picture of it!

 I quilted mine using an organic crosshatch; then I added a sweet FMQ'd string of loopy hearts above the pinwheels. 

Yes, I had to use a screwdriver to pry off the not  right snaps.

Next I tackled the inside pouch. It was late at night and I had a lot of trouble trying to set those snaps. It was my first time trying snaps... it took going to bed and trying it in the morning for it to work right! 

Look how beautiful they are! So perfect!

 Here's a shot at the zippered pouch snapped on. Aren't those snap panels so clever? I would never have thought of doing that - but it'll sure be handy with the size of this bag. otherwise it would be impossible to keep track of it!

Now here we are with the bag all finished! I even made a fancy covered button - who knew they were so easy to make??!! Why hadn't I tried them before? 

Click image to see the larger version -
check out those FMQ'd hearts! I'm in love!

If you're wondering the size of this bag? It's huge! the boxed side corners finish at about 7" wide... it would easily hold a couple towels and stuff for the beach, and for my pictures here I stuffed it with an 18" pillow! I've decided that this bag will be my official "bring show & tell quilts to the guild meetings bag." I'll also use it to pack things into for our numerous trips back home to visit the family! I can't stop oohing and ahhing over it!!