The Year of the Tote Continues

So many spring birthdays have popped up in the past 2 weeks. First, my sister, Emily. Then my sister, Lisa. And my friend, Brinda. And finally, my sister-in-law, Brenda.

Back in January, I declared it "the year of the tote," as I was planning to gift tote bags for all birthdays. It has kept me busy the past week or so. But, now that the birthdays have passed, and the totes have been gifted, it's time to talk about them. (Can't spoil the surprises ahead of time, can we? Especially since they read my blog.)

When I'm sewing gifts for others, I try to keep in mind their likes, dislikes, and personalities as much as possible. From left. My friend, Brinda, is very quiet and shy and probably wouldn't want to carry a flashy tote, so her tote is pretty and floral. My sister, Emily, on the other hand, is an extrovert and has a wild streak that I love. She got the funky, retro Alexander Henry "Mocca" fabric that makes me smile. My sister, Lisa, has a flair for fashion, so she rightly deserves the bag with purses and shoes. And Brenda, my sister-in-law, loves the Smurfs. She has the whole vintage glass collection. When I came across that Smurf fabric, I knew it was destined for Brenda. Happy birthday, friends and sisters.

And another birthday tote for Joe's niece, Ellie, who had a birthday party on Saturday. We gave her a floral tote, a Martha Stewart dish towel apron, and some Hello Kitty lip gloss, nail polish, etc.

And just more proof that not all projects go smoothly. I won't even go into detail about all the issues I had with this Smurf tote. Just when I thought it was finally finished (and I was singing praises), I noticed a stick pin sticking out of the side. Unfortunately, the head of the pin was too large to fit through the outside, so the bag had to be partially disassembled for the (ahem) third time to remove it.