New Item? Insulated Lunch Tote

So a billion years ago (maybe just a few years ago), I told my husband that I would make him a new lunch tote.  He had one that he used all the time - it was pretty large, but it finally wore out.  I reclaimed the strap from it and stuck it in a drawer.

Sunday I decided it was time to finally make this.  So I had him tell me the measurements that he wants this new tote to be, and took a look at how the one he's currently using is constructed.  It's a pretty small little tote.

The dimensions he gave me were 10" wide, 7" deep and 6.5" tall.  He wanted a pocket on the front for his napkins and utensils.

The fabric he chose was this black and gray houndstooth - very manly!

Along with the strap that I reclaimed from the old lunch tote, I put a webbing handle across the top.

The zipper around the top and for the pocket are the larger pull ones - easier to get it open.    

Here you can also see the webbing pocket on the front

Webbing strap across the top.

 Shoulder strap attached to the side.

I used fusible fleece (heavier weight) with the exterior fabric.  Then I used a layer of PUL (water proof) and a layer of Insul-Bright to help keep the items cool (he also uses a freezer pack), and finally, I lined it with rip-stop nylon,

I wanted to make sure the base was sturdy, so before I put the lining in, I spray glued a piece of foam to the bottom.


He carried it to work for the first time yesterday and had lots of interest from his coworkers.  So hopefully I get some orders for these.

I can adjust the size as needed and can use fabrics of your selection.

Happy Sewing!

Susan

Hello? Anyone there?

I know, it's like I went missing.  It's not like I haven't been working on a lot of different things, but it's hard for me to sit down and write about it.

So here's what I haven't shared lately.

1. For my birthday last year (2011) I got this great Singer Steam Press.  The first time I used it, I had too many other things (mainly my regular iron) plugged in and I blew the breaker.  We had to have some electrical work done for something else, so they looked at the power into my sewing room, and told me 'deal with it'.  So I finally decided that I wanted to try it out.  I turned (most) everything else off and found that it was ok to use.  So I've been using it for fusing my interfacing and fusible fleece, AND I LOVE IT!

2. I've been making lots of box pouches - I make them in two sizes.  I think my most popular fabric is the cat faces, which is out of print, so once they are gone (and the one yard I have left), that's it.  I also sell several of the 'manly' fabrics - the houndstooth (available in several colors) - check out the new black and white - pretty cool, huh?  I made two sets this year for wedding parties.  I think they make pretty good groomsmen gifts.  I imagine they could be great for the bridesmaids too, but haven't had anyone request that.





3. I only had one show in August - it's usually such a hot month and miserable for shows - so of course this year, it was pretty pleasant since I didn't do any.  I have a pretty light schedule for the rest of this year - I have two in September and one in October and I'm done for the year.  I'm planning on concentrating on online sales during the fall and winter.

4. To that end, I've been working on pricing, shipping, description, tags, etc.  It's a lot of work when you have close to 400 listings.

So stay tuned and see what comes next!

Happy Sewing!

Susan