Library Totes

I made these totes for my little sister and niece for Christmas and I just love how they turned out. Siera is a little bookworm, so this bag was made just for her many trips to the library. I used this tutorial and it was easier than I anticipated. Great way to use up some scraps!

Louisa's was a little simpler. I just used scraps of fabric in bright colors, hand embroidered the words and attached them to the front of the bag with some fusible webbing and then permanently attached them with a decorative stitch in contrasting thread.

I also hand embroidered each girls' name on the shoulder strap. I love the little things like that that make a big impact.

The girls both totally loved their new bags (which each had a new book inside, of course) and I'm already mulling different themed bags I can create. The bag itself was just a basic tote, tutorials are a dime a dozen all over the web. I used canvas straps that can be purchased by the yard from your craft store.

I was seriously off pace from last year's homemade Christmas, but I did squeeze in a few other homemade gifts. You can check them out over on my flickr stream.

I'm in the midst of some health issues that should hopefully be resolved quickly so I can get back to crafting! The next thing on my list is homemade goodies for the kids joint birthday parties next month. I'm certain I'm more excited about it than them. :)

Molly