Embroidery Club is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28 at 5:30  at Humble Sewing Center.  Please register in advance so that I know how many will be attending. The February class will focus on planning the bag and embroidering some of the blocks. You will be expected to finish the blocks before the March class so that we can focus on the assembly in March.

The supply list is posted on the blog under Embroidery Club. The pictures above show both sides of the tote.  I hung the tote on the back of the dining room chair to take a picture and just as I snapped the picture my puppy, Morgan, poked his head out from behind the bag. Morgan spends a lot of time with me in the my Sewing Studio.

I just finished then Patchwork Tote. I had to embroider 16 blocks for the outside of the tote. I used 4 different fabrics from my stash with 4 blocks of each color. The next step was selecting the thread palette. I selected thread colors that coordinated with the fabrics. Then I looked at each design and change the colors using Color Works which is part of Designers Gallery Studio Plus or Studio III. I saved the each design and then sent the designs to my Babylock Enterprise where I did the embroidery. Once the blocks were complete, I arranged them so that there were 8 blocks for the front and 8 blocks for the back of the tote.  I was careful with the placement of the blocks so that two blocks of each color are on the front and on the back and that the colors on each side are not next to each other. Another consideration is the placement of the blocks at the bottom of both sides. There is a tuck on each of the two middle blocks on the bottom row. These blocks should be less stitch intensive so select the quilted blocks and not the ones with dense embroidery designs.

The assembly of the tote was not difficult at all. I added a pocket on the inside of the tote so it will be functional. for My next tote, I am going to add a zipper since I prefer to use bags that close so my “stuff” doesn’t fall out when  I drop the bag or knock it over.

If you are coming to Embroidery Club in February and March, I am sure that you will enjoy making your Patchwork Tote.

Happy embroidering!

Marje (aka Designs by Marje)