Today is James’s birthday!!
I recently noticed his dop kit (toiletries bag) was getting a bit ratty, and I thought it might be nice to make him a replacement, and I stored the idea away in the back of my brain for a while. Then I saw that Spoonflower were having a BOGOF sale on all fat quarters, so I jumped at the chance to buy him some nicely coordinated Tour de France fabrics, since he loves Le Tour!
Since you could mix and match the base fabrics, I bought one fat quarter of “Vive Le Tour de France!” printed onto recycled eco-canvas for the exterior, and a fat quarter of “Les Montagnes” on quilting cotton for the lining. The colours are nice and manly, the prints coordinate perfectly, and it was a pairing I really hoped he’d like.
I then went in search of a good, free boxbag tutorial that wouldn’t use more than a fat quarter, was lined, and looked good, and I settled on my friend Stacy Sews’ free box bag tutorial, which also comes as a pdf if you’d rather view it on your tablet as you work (like me!)
I had the zipper in my stash already. I would’ve bought a chunkier one had they been available in white, yellow or grey, but all the big plastic zippers in the UK seem to be in dark colours, and the metal teethed ones aren’t available in long enough lengths.
The only thing I don’t like about this tutorial/pattern is that there are raw edges left inside at the corners, which I wasn’t expecting for a lined bag. I pinked these off so they won’t fray, but I would’ve preferred if everything was nicely enclosed. But c’est la vie!
He likes it (and just in case – I filled it with chocolate bars), and we’re off to Brussels for the weekend very soon, so he won’t have to wait long to take it for a test drive!
In other news, UK readers – FunkiFabrics are running their first-ever sale this weekend, with 20% off all fabrics. Seriously! So if you wanted to make a pair of triathlon leggings like mine, or a tribal shorts & bra set, then this is an excellent opportunity…