Hi everyone, this is Byrd with my latest Fabricista make!
After a very busy summer sewing vacation looks and adding lots of new garments to my handmade wardrobe, I was ready to change up the pace with something completely different. For my November Fabricista make, I chose the Noodlehead Fieldstone Tote, using Fabric Mart’s Midnight Navy Cotton Looped Back Denim paired with a beautiful white and dark royal blue 100% cotton floral poplin for contrast. I love how these two fabrics work together—the deep navy gives the bag a classic foundation while the floral print adds just the right amount of interest.
I’ve sewn a Noodlehead pattern before and really enjoy their patterns, so I was excited to find the Fieldstone Tote on the Fabric Mart website. The instructions are clear, detailed, and thoughtfully organized, which makes the construction process easy to follow even if bag making isn’t something you do regularly. I sewed the regular size, and another thing I love about this project is that it doesn’t require a ton of fabric—you need roughly a half yard for the exterior and a half yard for the interior. View A also includes a hanging interior zippered welt pocket, which gives you a secure place for smaller items. One extra step I recommend is adding a small piece of interfacing behind the area where the zipper will be installed. The pattern doesn’t require it, but I find that little bit of extra stability makes installing the zipper easier and gives the finished pocket a nice, clean appearance.
Let’s talk about these fabrics! The Midnight Navy Cotton Looped Back Denim has enough substance to make it a great choice for a bag, while the floral cotton poplin gave me an opportunity to play around with contrast and placement. Before cutting a project like this, I recommend washing and drying your fabrics the same way you plan to care for the finished bag. This takes care of any potential shrinkage before you begin sewing. I also like to press everything really well before cutting because accurate cutting makes such a difference when you’re working with multiple bag pieces. If you’re combining fabrics of different weights like I did, don’t be afraid to use interfacing and stabilizers to help create a more consistent feel between them.
How structured you want your Fieldstone Tote to be is really up to you. If you prefer a softer, more relaxed bag, you can choose a lighter interfacing. I wanted mine to have enough structure to stand on its own, so I used both SF101 interfacing and Flex-Foam. Flex-Foam is wonderful for adding body without making a bag feel overly stiff. One of my favorite tips is to cut the foam slightly inside the seam allowance so you aren’t sewing through unnecessary layers. I also use a very narrow zigzag stitch around the edges of my foam-backed pieces before construction. This locks everything together and slightly compresses the foam, making those pieces much easier to sew. And as you can see, the stabilizers gave my cotton poplin enough body to work beautifully alongside the heavier denim.
For the finishing touch, I chose contrasting white webbing for the handles, which really pops against that midnight navy denim. The pattern gives you flexibility with the handle length, but I prefer a shorter handle for a tote like this so I can comfortably carry it by hand. I also folded the webbing along the upper handle area, which is completely optional, but I find it much more comfortable to grip and carry. This project was exactly the sewing reset I needed after such a garment-heavy summer. I got to play with fabric combinations, practice some bag-making techniques, and end up with something that is both useful and completely my style. If you’ve been sewing garment after garment and need a change of pace, the Fieldstone Tote might be the perfect project to add to your sewing list!
Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow me on social media for more sewing inspiration and behind-the-scenes details on my latest makes. See you next time!
Thank you Fabric Mart for the beautiful fabric!
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