Indiana Tote Bag

For those of you who are new around here, I live in Indiana. And I love where I live. Soooo I tend to create a lot of fun little projects that use the shape of Indiana. And I recently realized that Indiana makes a perfect tote bag shape!

For those of you who are NOT new around here, this newest creation will come as no surprise. I'll admit, I am slightly obsessed.

This tote is super simple, and yet manages to be cute as well, especially with the leather and rivets for straps. I started with my classic Indiana pillow shape, and tweaked it for this new project. I made indiana a bit wider, and got rid of the dip of Lake Michigan at the top.

Just like in the Indiana stocking, this bag is fully lined, but sewn in a way that all the layers are sewn at once, so I only had to sew around the squiggly bottom edge once. Then I clipped it, turned the bag right side out, folded down the top, and topstitched it in place. A few rivets to hold the handles in place, and voila! the bag was done! It's even reversible, since the inside seams are completely hidden as well. I just made sure to hammer on the straps in a way that would look finished either way you flip the bag.

I'm definitely going to put this in my shop as a pattern, and maybe even offer it in kits too! And if you are local (let's face it, pretty much only local people are going to be interested in this post) then look out for these puppies at the Yelp Bazaar this December!