It’s been quite a journey, but I have finally written my Colleen Tote bag pattern! If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you know I’ve been making this bag for well over a year now, but always tweaked the design every time I made it. As a newbie designer, I just wasn’t comfortable enough to bring it out to the sewing market. There were people were asking me about the pattern every time I posted a new iteration and I kept pushing it off until…I finally told myself to get out of my own head and just write it!
The Colleen Tote was designed to be the classic open tote bag to carry a large number of things. The clean design makes it versatile enough for any occasion…and allows you the creative freedom for customization. I’m thinking a quilted block maybe in the works 😉 You can use the tote for the beach, as a work bag (large enough for a laptop,) a diaper bag or just a throw-all-your-junk-in bag. There are so many possibilities.
With a roomy open compartment, I made sure to add in a zipper pocket to keep personal items secure and an easy-access slip pocket for a phone and chapstick. You can also see the fun, yet functional interior band. This adds deign interest while giving extra support for the weight of the rolled handles.
The next feature added was a trusty key fob. I have a car with the keyless ignition, so I find myself actually losing my keys or leaving them in my car more than I’d like to admit….so I made sure to add in this feature to quickly allow me to click my keys onto the tote. The other thing I find myself doing is fishing around for my sunglasses. I tend to just throw them in my bag, so I made the key fob double duty. You can hang your glasses through the loop to more easily find and locate your sunnies!
Original Tote Pattern
When I first made what would turn into the Colleen, I was testing out waxed canvas and learning to make my own. I figured a tote would be a great use for this fabric treatment. I drafted a VERY simple tote with very light interfacing and didn’t even even really create a sturdy bottom. I cut leather straps and attached them with rivets as shown above. But this was just the jump off…
Customer Order
Later on, one of my very best and loyal customers asked me to make a “plain” tote bag as she called it with just one fabric for the exterior without any contrasting bottom or the leather handles. It’s a joke between us now…because she knows I do not make “plain.”
Beautiful Leather and Rivet Enhancements
That’s when I suggested some rolled handles to make the tote a bit more interesting instead of just flat sewn-in ones. And of course, I jazzed it up with some rivets and leather accents. With this special request came the second view of the Colleen along with the rolled handles.
As I worked on the design, I played with different interfacing combinations and thought a combo of woven plus fusible fleece works for me. If you would like something more rigid, yet soft, some foam would be perfect. However, the weight of the bag does get heavy….especially when you start to add your own stuff inside. Peltex lines the base to make the Colleen sturdy and you can swap it out with needlepoint plastic if that’s more to your liking.
The handles are secured down with two rows of top-stitching, but you can opt to use rivets in place of the second row of stitching. The extra bit of hardware makes this pattern look so chic and professional.
Additionally, rivets can be added to the handles for strength and for a little more jazz. These are all fun ideas to help bring your Colleen Tote up a notch!
As part of the release this week, you can purchase the Colleen Tote digital PDF pattern for 20% off in my Etsy shop. Additionally, you can also get my Claire Foldover Crossbody bag on sale as well! (Sale good through July 2, 2018.)
Happy Sewing Friends!
Cristy