I sewed this Redwood Tote during second lockdown last year.  It was sewn in fits and starts over a period of about four weeks as I waited for zips and hardware to arrive in the mail.

I do enjoy bag making! I hadn’t used Noodlehead patterns before, but I will again after sewing this one. Instructions were clear, everything fitted together perfectly, and I was really pleased with the finished bag.

The outer fabric and the lining are both Ikea drills that have been in stash for an extremely long time. Yes, there was some fussy cutting involved with the placement of the bird prints!

One of the fun things about bag making is working out what fabrics, straps and hardware combinations to use.

The leather that I used on the base and for the straps was harvested from a pair of too-small leather pants that a friend gave me a while ago. It’s very soft, which made it easy to sew but possibly a bit too supple for the straps.

I used rivets to secure the straps to the bag, and metal YKK zips for the outer pocket and the bag closure. As always, my tip to Australians with bag hardware is to buy QUALITY. Not the stuff you can get at Spotlight/Lincraft. I usually have to order online from saddlery or leather suppliers or specialist bag hardware shops. Bags like this take a bit of time to make, because there are lots of components, and they take more fabric than you would first think. Don’t spoil your lovely bag with cheap hardware!

There are slip pockets inside the bag, a zippered pocket on the outside, and another slip pocket on the outside.  Plenty of places to stash things away!   The zippered bag closure keeps the contents secure.

I’ll definitely give this pattern another whirl.  I really enjoy sewing bags, and this one has proved itself to be a very useable bag for my lifestyle.