Green hexagon flowers on a tote bag
With the tote bag for myself, I did the same as I did with the blue hexagon tote that I gave to my mom. I applied one of the larger chunks of hexagons, already sewn together, to cover up the logo side. For my tote I picked these green hexagons that are (almost) all made from the same thick, retro looking fabric.
I love green, so I was drawn to these hexagons quite a bit.
I started late summer, sat on the balcony with my iced coffee and stitched all around the outer edge to applique it to the tote. Then when I finished, I decided that I wasn’t finished at all. I wanted to decorate the back and now I like the back a lot more and consider it the tote’s “front”.
I felt that it was a bit too plain white on one side after I appliqued that big chunk of green to one side, so I dug through that big plastic bag of donated hexagons and found four different hexagon flowers to use on the “back”.
Well, it doesn’t really matter what is the front or the back of a tote bag that you carry around on your shoulder, does it? But if both sides are decorated, I think that’s really nice.
These hexagons are the exact same size as the green ones and sewn together in the same way, but made to look like flowers. With the same fabric on the petals and one different colored middle they become these cute flowers, and that’s a fun way to create hexagon quilts I think. Again, the hexies are not assembled by me, but donated by a kind older lady that decided she would never finish these and make her big quilt. I won’t either, but I have enjoyed using the hexagons as they are on this tote for me and on the blue one for my mom.
I love hand sewing so very much, it’s the best kind of meditation. I hope you give it a try. xo
This post is part of NaBloPoMo where I write 30 blog posts in November. Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment, it encourages me to keep going. To follow along subscribe to blog posts via email or RSS. I also have a sweet Substack Newsletter about art, craft and creativity that you might want to sign up for so that we can keep in touch in the future. I’d love that. On instagram I’m @ihannas and on YouTube Studio iHanna. Take care and stay creative friends.
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Oh, more fun totes … I love the patterns and colours. So vivid. I wish I had the patience. Maybe one day.
Thank you. I like this kind of sewing because it is not detailed or someone else’s instructions only my own idea and: go! I’m not very patient otherwise.
What a fun upcycle! Such a great way to use promotional totes without being a walking billboard. It looks super cute!
Thanks Rachel! And if it’s free fabric, why not use it, right?
These are so fun. I did the stitchbook Challenge this year where you hand stich 20 minutes each day for 100 days. I agree – it’s like meditation.
Thanks. Was the Stitch book with Ann Wood? Is it somewhere on your blog?
I hate sewing. I had to sew a hole in my pants today and I was glad when I was finished. I only hand sew, I don’t know how to use a sewing machine.
Love the flip side of the bag! I agree it’s more fun if there are pops of colour on both sides. I suspect if I took a bag like this to the grocery store, it would spark lots of fun conversations. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Beautiful!
Yeah, thanks. Kind of strange when the thought back looks better than the front, but I’ll take it. :-)