A New Project

I say new project only because it is new to you. This is something that I meant to make over the winter but just wasn't sure the direction I wanted to go. The project is a garden tote for all of those hand tools, seeds, and miscellaneous items I bring out to the garden from our shed. The shed is within our fence and the garden is not, so it can be a bit annoying to go back for the one thing forgotten every time. Plus, a tote will be convenient for harvesting.

Ever since I planted last spring, I wanted to make one. It wasn't until I popped in at an estate sale, that I found the perfect "fabric" to make it out of. My hesitation came when I wasn't sure how I construct it using this seed sack. Unlike any other fabric, finding another one of these would be impossible. This is an antique and was part of a collection of local memorabilia. I'm sure the previous owner would roll over in his grave knowing I have chopped it up, but I am making use of every little bit. (I didn't think to take a photograph of it while it was whole.)

And yes, it has been laundered. There are stains that won't come out which won't matter as this is going to get dirty anyway.

Fast forward to the end of April when the ladies at the New Embroidery with Vintage Patterns Flickr group posted their May stitch-a-long themes. One was vegetables and I knew this would be the perfect addition to my garden tote. I remembered that I had a sheet of vintage veggie patterns in my stash as well.

So this is how far I got over the weekend. It took me until the end of last week to get the guts to cut into my seed sack fabric. I needed those pieces to decide how big to cut the embroidered pieces. They will make up large pocket panels on the outside that will be lined with a garden theme cotton. The interior will not have pockets and will be lined with either the same garden print or another (I have a few). I also cut out pieces to make a pouch, which will house my seed packets inside the tote.

There are seven vegetable motifs, so I have made pretty good progress. I want to get my garden tilled and planted this week, so this project has jumped to the top of my list. Once the embroidery is done, it will be a quick one to sew up.

Other than garden work, my summer class starts tomorrow and I have tons to catch up on online. I spent the bulk of my weekend taking long walks with my dogs, cleaning, and cooking. How was your weekend?