Did you know that HGTV HOME has some new home decorator fabrics?  The only place you can get them is at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  I just used some to make a tote bag.

The Jo-Ann folks asked me to do a review, sending me some HGTV HOME fabric and trim.  I received a yard of Checkered Past upholstery fabric (a cotton/linen blend), a yard of Urban Blossom print fabric (100% cotton similar to canvas), and a yard of mulberry cording.

Now I needed a project for home dec fabric.  Helllllooooo, my Happy Home sewing book by Jennifer Paganelli!  I am so stinkin’ smart.  Plus, I get to use some wooden bag handles I’ve had FOREVER.  The pattern is Millie’s Market Tote, found on page 74.

The woven upholstery fabric is great: strong, yet soft.  And the colors are both warm and fresh: raspberry, orange, lime, coconut, and grape.

The printed fabric handles like canvas.  It’s easy to handle and the non-directional print made sewing easy.  A creamy natural color of thread seemed to disappear in both fabrics, which I like.

Also, Wonder Clips work great for keeping handles in place, FYI.

The mulberry cording is so pretty, I just had to work it into the project even though it wasn’t part of the pattern.  So I basted it to the binding strip before sewing the binding on.  I was a little nervous about it…

…but it turned out just fine.

The heavier weight of these home dec fabrics makes it a little difficult to sew the binding on completely by machine.  So I attached the binding to the exterior by machine, then turned to the inside and hand-stitched.  That’s okay, I enjoy a little hand-stitching every now and then.  It’s actually a nice excuse to get to appreciate your handmade item with your own two hands, rather than missing that sensory experience by using the machine exclusively.

Here’s a tiny Vine video of my hand-stitching.  Warning:  unmute this video only if you’re a Def Leppard fan 🙂

And, per my sewing journal entry on this project, here are some changes if I make this again:

• Use Pellon 71F interfacing rather than 70.  Instead of using 71F per the pattern directions, I opted to use 70 since that’s what I already had.  I tried to attach it with spray adhesive, but it kept coming off of the fabric pieces.  Spray adhesive just didn’t have enough sticking power for this heavy interfacing.
• Assemble the lining pieces using a slightly larger seam allowance so the interior fits more snugly.  The interior is fine, but I just wished it had a flatter and more snug fit in there.
• Use a size 14 Universal machine needle for bag construction, then switch to a 16 Denim needle for attaching the binding.  I broke my Universal needle on the binding while going over the handle straps – oops.

I think this is where this bag is going to hang out in my home – to catch all the stuff I toss on the stair landing to go upstairs later.

If you’d like to get some HGTV HOME fabric and trim of your own, don’t miss Jo-Ann’s 50% off sale 4/14/13 – 5/4/13.  Plus, Jo-Ann’s sent me a 10% off coupon to share with my readers.  Just use it by 5/4/13.  And yes, you can use it on top of the 50% sale!