The Kittenish behaviour book tote
I’ve been promising this tutorial and pattern for a long time. I wanted to “test drive” my initial make to make sure that it worked, I liked it and that it would hold up to use. I made my first prototype back in January 2020 and I’ve used it pretty much every day since! I can confidently say that it is fit for purpose. This is how I made it….
I took inspiration from the original Dior book tote when making this bag and I love the size of it. It fits everything everything I use on a daily basis plus a few extras! You can of course use this method and adjust the sizes to your preferences.
I would highly recommend you look for some stiffer tapestry like fabric for the outer. You can certainly use something with less structure but you will want to interface those pieces accordingly.
These are rough guidelines for the fabric quantities you will need. Adjustments will need to be made if you pick a particularly narrow or wide fabric. Just something to bear in mind!
Once you’ve gathered all your supplies you will need to get everything cut out.
This is the checklist of pieces you will need to have cut out of each of your materials. Depending on the outer fabric you have picked you may need another layer of interfacing!
This list does not include the “name plate” and decorative elements that I’ve added to mine as they are entirely optional. I will be giving measurements and instructions for how to sew the decorative elements if you want to include them .
All these measurements include a half inch seam allowance.
You will want to cut out all of these pieces out of your outer fabric and interfacing. From your lining you will want to cut out the front and back panels, the side panels and the bottom panel. You will not need to cut the straps from your lining fabric.
The sew in foam pieces for the front, back and side panels are half an inch shorter than main and lining fabric. This is to ensure a nice crisp edge at the top of your bag.
The sew in foam bottom panel is the same measurement as the outer and lining pieces.
I like to use Decovil Heavy for structure at the bottom of my bag. I also use slim pieces at the top to add structure there and help with the finishing of the top edge.
The measurements for the Decovil heavy are minus any seam allowance; they are the finished size of the final bag. If you do decide to alter the size of your bag that is something to bear in mind.
The “name plate” and additional orange stripes are completely optional but I love how they add to look. Even if you don’t have an embroidery machine at home to personalise your bag I think adding these stripes is a great way to add some interest.
You could choose a complimentary print for the centre stripe but I would recommend a solid colour, like the orange, for the border stripes.
I used white corduroy and orange felt. I really like the felt as it doesn’t need to be hemmed meaning it won’t add extra bulk in the side seams when you are constructing the bag.
I have a full sew-along video to go with this blog post which will walk you through every step of the construction. You find it here…..
If you do decided to make one of these for yourself and you use social media please use the hashtag #sianmademedoit as I would love to see what you create! The pattern and sew-along are completely free and I hope you enjoy using them. If you are so inclined I would love a Ko-Fi (coffee) which you can find here…