We Snappin', We Stitchin'
(hard to do at the same time but not impossible!)
These lyrics from "YA YA" made me think of summer and music on the beach--and that means totes! Carry all your stuff to the shore (or the pool) in this snappy tote and get to stitchin'! The full tote bag kit has everything you need and there’s also a PDF pattern if you want to go rogue and use it elsewhere.
Anyone can buy an L.L. Bean tote and have it imaginatively monogrammed, but you’re MUCH more talented and clever than that! Our tote bags have so much more space for your creativity to roam.
I made a couple more designs to get you started. You can get an excellent quality tote bag from us and one of these PDF patterns to your order. If you don’t have supplies, you KNOW we’ve got your back—floss, hoops, needles—all in our Supplies shop! Our totes are from Charles Craft and the canvas is nice and heavy with the Aida fabric for cross stitching smoothly integrated. There’s also a gusseted bottom that expands to hold all your beer or seltzer or whatever else it is you need to survive a summer day.
Get It Together (& remember where you put it!)
This design covers nearly all the stitching space on our totes (9 x 10”!) and tells the world you’ve got it together, baby do you ever! Haven’t had time to stitch it myself yet, but I hope you’ll send me pix of yours! Available as a PDF pattern only (see above for links to supplies!)
Show off your skills with some blackwork!
I don’t even want to tell you how long it took me to make this pattern, but it’s just the kind of intensely weird task my OCD can really sink its teeth into (not kidding). I can’t wait for someone to stitch it! A play on the Shepard Fairey “Obey” art that’s been around for years. I can guarantee no one else will be carrying something this special—imagine when you tell them you made it!
Oldies but Goodies
You could use both of these patterns from previous styles of totes we no longer carry—stitch as is or add a border of your liking! I just love the phrases and they’re a big hit.
Remember: Most ALL of our Patterns will fit!
I can’t think of any patterns of ours that WON’T fit our totes… except for the big pillow patterns. Almost any of our PDF patterns will work! My attempt at mock-ups to demonstrate what I mean doesn’t really fly so here’s a handy cut-and-paste graphic for you to imagine what I mean!
CYOT: Create Your Own Tote
You could also create your own phrase, of course—that’d be so CYOOOOOT! We’ve got lots of fonts in PDF form and you can download these blank grids to chart your course.
These both have the exact area of the tote bag (9 x 10”): above is a one-page grid, below the grid is spread out over two pages in case you need reading glasses like me!
Okay, I guess you’re set! So many choices! Be sure to send me pix of your progress, your designs, finished pieces, totes in action. Email or social media links below. And remember:
You TOTES got this!
(OMG you knew you weren’t getting out of here without a pun, right?)
;)
xoxo,
j.
p.s. DON’T MISS: My insanely talented friend Laurie Cinotto gave an excellent tour of her Teeny Tiny Vinyl art project to The News Tribune in Tacoma this week and was front-page news! I don’t even know how to START to tell you about what she does, you’ve just gotta hear her describe it (use a private browser to get around the paywall)! She’s also on Instagram—follow her to get all the tiny details. She is SO freakin’ talented—just look at that craft room! YEAY Laurie!!
(yes, this is the same Laurie who created The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee!)
Julie, do you know offhand if the new designs will fit on the older model tote bags as well as the ones you carry now? I am almost positive that I have one or two of the older versions somewhere around here (Heaven only knows where). I ADORE the pattern for "keeping my shit together"... very apropos.