I love
shopping at my local farmers market and produce store, so I thought my next sewing tutorial for BraintreeClothing would be a classic tote bag, perfect for filling up with seasonal
goodies.
Braintree
kindly sent me two lovely striped men's shirts to upcycle into this tote bag.
You could of course use any fabrics new or old.
Materials:
Fabric (I’ve
used two different striped linen shirts)
Cotton
webbing (Navy 2 lengths 3 x 122cms)
Cotton
thread (cream & navy)
Sewing machine
Scissors
Pins
Tape measure
How to:
To start
with, cut out your pattern pieces.
You will
need two body pieces (pale stripes) 41 x
46cm , two lining pieces
(dark
stripes) 41x 46 cm and 2 pocket pieces, 21 .5 x 35 cm.
I've cut my
fabric out of two men's shirts, using the front, back panels and sleeves.
Hem the top
of the body and lining pieces by folding down the top (short) edge by 2cm, Iron
and sew along the top, repeat this with the two pockets.
Sew on the pockets.
Centre your
pockets by Ironing the two body pieces in half lengthways, do the same with the
two pockets. Open out a body piece and
lay the pocket on top, matching up the
creases and bottom raw edges.
Pin and sew
on the pocket, leaving the top open. Repeat on the
second body piece.
Sew on the handles.
Take one
length of webbing (122 cm) and with the
body piece facing up, align the webbing to the bottom raw edge, keep the
webbing straight and cover the pocket seam until you reach the top, pin as you
go. At the top make a loop for the handle (40cm appox) making sure you don't
twist the webbing, carry on down the other side to the bottom raw edge.
With
everything in place sew around all sides of the webbing attaching it to the
fabric.
Repeat on
the second body piece.
Sew the bag together.
With the
body pieces face to face, match up the handles and the edges, pin it all
together and sew around the three raw edges.
Turn inside
out and with an iron press sides and corners.
Lining
Put the two
lining pieces face to face, neat hem at the top. Pin and sew around the raw
edges.
(Do not turn out.) Insert the
lining in to the bag, matching up the side seams, to attach the lining pin
along the top and sew around the opening.
Give your
new tote a press and you're ready to shop...
Remember to
share any of your makes with us by uploading your images to Instagram including
the hashtag #BThoughtful_Makes
'We work
closely with local farmers, producers and suppliers who focus on the
quality, integrity and provenance of their produce. Giving the customer the fresh taste of every season
and the best artisan foods for your table'
I asked Pete to share his favourite seasonal recipe..
At the moment it's the asparagus season, we have freshly picked local
asparagus delivered to the shop every morning, it's fresh, delicious and makes
a great, quick, seasonal supper.
There are so many great ways to eat asparagus; with homemade hollandaise,
butter and lemon, in a risotto, tossed in a mixed salad with mozzarella, but my
favourite is the fresh, rich, salty contrast of asparagus, eggs and bacon.
Asparagus soldiers with soft boiled eggs.
You will need:
12 medium asparagus stalks, woody ends removed
12 slices of thinly sliced pancetta or bacon
olive oil
free range eggs
sea salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 220C. Wrap your asparagus stalks in the pancetta (or
bacon) with the tips poking out, and place in a roasting pan. Drizzle with a
little olive oil and roast in the oven for 10 mins, until crispy.
While the asparagus is cooking, Carefully place
the eggs into lightly salted boiling water, for 5 minutes, drain, cut off the
lids and put them in egg cups. Serve with a good pinch of salt
and pepper.
Dunk your asparagus soldiers into the soft egg and enjoy.
