The Professional Tote pattern, by Creative Thimble

The Professional Tote pattern, by Creative Thimble is an excellent design.  It creates a tote that has approximate measurements of 18"Wide X 15" Tall X 5" Deep, with a variety of zippered and non-zippered pockets.  This large tote bag works well traveling, as it is designed to easily hang on roll-able luggage, making this bag perfect for many travel situations, and other uses, such as that four letter word "work".

I've seen classes, at various quilt shops, with this design and I decided to sign up and take a class with Jan Hayman, at Cozy Quilt Shop.  Jan had made this design many times, and had many tips to share.

It was a fun class and I enjoyed seeing a variety of fabric prints and colors used to create this tote.  And everyone's tote turned out beautifully.

I used some nautical fabrics, from my stash.

And I had fun finishing it at the Mogle Mountain Quilt Retreat in Truckee (near Tahoe), California this past week.

The Professional Tote is a very durable tote, which uses Decor Bond.  This was my first time to work with Decor Bond and I really liked using it and how it gives this tote a durable feel with sufficient body to stand on its' own.  I'm already looking forward to making more of these totes and giving some away for Christmas gifts. 

The pattern contains detailed instructions with good visuals.  There are many pieces, but the pattern contains tags to mark each piece and respective stablizer.  If you are new to making bags and not able to find a class, you may want to recruit a friend and the two of you make The Professional Tote together.  And you'll have more fun  making this beautiful tote together!

http://www.thecreativethimble.com/