Purse Palooza – Pattern Review – Serendipity Studio Tulip Tote

This post is part of Purse Palooza 2015. For full details and contest rules, check here.
Today’s post is from Terry.

Purse Palooza is my favorite sewing event of the year!  I’m so happy to share a review of one of the first bags I ever made that I actually used as a purse!  The Tulip Tote is from the book Sew Serendipity Bags by Kay Whitt.  This bag is just the right size for an everyday purse and has lots of slip pockets inside.  The name of the tote comes from the beautiful shape of the exterior.  The quilting and the grommets also add to the beauty of this tote.

The only change I made to the pattern was to use the new Fusible Flex Foam from Pellon instead of fusible fleece.  The Flex Foam made this bag have just a little bit more structure, and I think it emphasizes the Tulip shape nicely.

With all the fuss about Frixion markers not working very well on fabric, I thought I would show you the way I marked the quilting lines.  I used my ruler and ¼” masking tape to mark the diagonal, using my cutting mat as a guide for the first line.  Then I sew along the left edge of the masking tape, making sure to not sew through the tape.  Remove the tape and use your ruler to mark the next line with tape, and so on until you’re done.  I sewed the quilting lines in a 2” grid, with a nice contrasting thread color.

One step to pay attention to is clipping the curves.  You really want to see the beautiful curves on the sides of the bag, so take care and clip it a lot!

Here is the bag after being bound, just before cutting the holes for the grommets.  I thought I would take a picture here in case I messed up the holes.  Just jump in and don’t be afraid.

This is one of the grommets after the handle has been attached.

Contrast lining with lots of pockets.

Kay Whitt calls this an Intermediate bag, and I would agree.  The quilting, top binding and grommets take just a small bit of extra care.  Kay uses drawings that explain the steps well and are easy to follow.  I hope you give this fun bag a try.  Tag me on Instagram (@tooheycohen) if you do.  I’d love to see your projects!

Enjoy the rest of Purse Palooza!