Fair Trade

My friend, Chelsea, rocks at crochet. Me? Not so much, and trust me, I've tried. So, since the cold season is coming...no, it is not quite here yet...I was thinking ahead and decided to contact her to see if I could commission her to make my kids a couple of beanies. Well, she came back with an offer. "How about a trade?" I loved it! Perfect idea. See, she was in need of a giant bag in which to carry her ever-extending supply of yarn. I cannot even tell you how excited I was. I love the idea of trading, to use my own talents to "purchase" something we need or want. Love it. Anyway, I haven't received the hats yet, but I simply couldn't wait to show you the bag I made for her, as I am completely in love with how it turned out.

When she said "giant" bag my mind immediately went straight to Heather Ross' "Everything Tote" from one of my fave books, Weekend Sewing. I made this tote (linked to my personal blog from before the days of H & D) a while back to use as our swim bag, and it has been well-used and well-loved.

 Just as I did with the first tote I made, I added a solid 3" to the bottom to give it a little more depth. This particular bag was made with a stretchy linen-type fabric that I picked up at the thrift store a few months ago and it is accented with what I believe is some Michael Miller fabric that I bought because I loved it, and I was so glad to use it on this project.

A special request from Chelsea was to have some crochet hook pockets:

I left it to hang on my kitchen hutch for a few days before I sent it just to admire it...and to talk myself out of keeping it for myself:) Anyway, I just hope she loves it as much as I do:)