Made by a Fabricista: Poolside Tote

Hi there! I'm sure your world has been turned upside down by Covid-19, just as mine has here in Florida. It is wild how quickly things can change...in a matter of days our house went from being so busy, shuttling kids here and there, to now, we have absolutely nothing on our schedule! It's been very nice to have a forced break, however I know that it is coming at a huge cost.

Seven months ago, my dad passed away in a bicycling accident. Losing someone so quickly and unexpectedly is incredibly hard; that grief has been a tremendous weight that I carry around each day. If I can help prevent someone from having to lose their loved one to Covid-19, I will! Our family has taken the social distancing that the United States has implemented very seriously so that we can help alleviate the demand that has been placed on the hospitals and the medical industry. All that to say, I write this sewing post today, completely aware that there are serious, life altering current events happening worldwide right now and my heart goes out to each and every one of you who is struggling with the changes that our world is facing!

Switching gears completely, let me share a little bit of the sewing that I have been doing in my new found free time. This is the poolside tote by Anna Graham, a pattern that I have sewn numerous times, but never have I sewn one for myself!

When I was shopping for fabric, I originally looked for some linen that I could wax with otterwax and make my bag waterproof. Once I sewed the bag up, though, I loved the way it looked without anything added to it. I love that the bag is very neutral and will go with anything I have on!

The fabric that I used is all out of stock...however peek around Fabric Mart and I'm sure you'll find something similar. Here's a link to their linen page and the accent and lining fabric I used was a cotton chambray The metal zipper I used was also from Fabric Mart.

I'm sure that I will get asked, the Flower Map of the United States that you see behind the bag is from an artist in Saint Augustine, Jenna Alexander.

I hope that you are doing well as we are all hunkering down and doing our best to help get through these ever changing times!

Teresa Behr @dandeliondrift

P.S. Thank you so much Fabric Mart for the great materials to make this bag!