In the Garden

I've been a busy little bee, selecting fabric for totes and then making said totes.

I have to say that picking fabrics is pretty much my favorite part of any project. I'm a bad little fabric hoarder, and many of the fabrics I buy I have no project in mind for. I buy things because they make me happy, either with color or pattern or subject matter. I love to play with color in pattern in unexpected ways to find the combination that makes all the fabrics look better. A lot of my fabrics have some sentimental value to them too. So choosing fabrics means I not only get to play with color and pattern, but I'm reminded of good memories.

This was the last bit of this pretty bird fabric I had, I had juuuuuust enough to do the tote. I've also made a bead embroidered tote with this fabric. These are both from Home Fabrics but bought about two years apart. The little velvet ribbon was from an online fabric swap.

This was the last little bit of this floral as well, boo. I got this from my college sewing instructor, it was a discontinued decorator sample she had in her supply closet. She used to also go to estate sales and auctions and get huge lots of fabric to bring back to class and let us pick through and just give her a small "donation". I have some really cute vintage bits from that.
I had the floral matched with two totally different fabrics and ready to go when I noticed the houndstooth and liked that better.

These are both decorator remnants from Hancock Fabrics. I love the textured blue that's at the top. It has a fleecy backing on it, so it has a little stiffness for bags and doesn't ravel when cut. I kind of wish I had gotten more, but oh well. The little crystal button is from a pair of shoes I was getting rid of.

I had the hardest time with picking the fabrics for this one. I grabbed the floral and paired the yellow with it right away, but I just could not find anything I liked with both. I was actually pulling something else out and noticed the blue houndstooth that I had forgotten about. I love it together. The houndstooth is such a traditional pattern it works with the floral, but the colors are modern enough to make it a little unexpected. I really like it with the yellow too.

If it's not obvious, I loves me some huge gaudy florals.