by Jamie McPheeters of Jamie’s Quilt Studio
Today, I want to share with you A Quilted Tote Bag- Using the Baby Lock Sashiko. Not too long ago, Elizabeth offered to let me use a couple of her Baby Lock sewing machines for a few projects. I’ve made a few quilted tote bags recently and wanted to make one with Sashiko quilting. I was excited to use the Baby Lock Sashiko for this project and I’m so pleased with how it turned out!
A Quilted Tote Bag- Using the Baby Lock Sashiko
I *loosely* followed a tutorial by Amy of Ritual Quilt Company that was recently featured on the Quilters Candy Blog. This is a great tutorial if you want to make a quilted tote! Instead of using charm squares, I used some leftover strips from a FQ bundle. I also made my own handles using solid quilters cotton. My bag ended up just a bit shorter and I added an inside pocket. I think it turned out great and I can’t wait to make more!
(My finished quilted tote bag!)
It was super easy to use the Baby Lock Sashiko to quilt the outer pieces of my bag. I just lined the presser foot along the seam and sewed in a straight line on either side. The edge of the presser foot is ¼” from the needle, making this perfect for quilting ¼” on either side of the seams.
(Quilting with the Baby Lock Sashiko)
I absolutely love how the quilting turned out! It looks amazing along these strips.
(Fabric: “The Ladies Stitching Club” by Oliver + S for Moda Fabrics)
I love pockets in tote bags so I decided to add one to the inside of this one. Also, I added a little extra Sashiko stitching along the edges and center of the inside pocket. I reduced the stitch length as well as the gap length just a bit to create smaller stitches on the pocket.
(Lining and Pocket Fabric: Ruby Star Society “Heirloom”)
I finished my Quilted Tote using the Baby Lock Sashiko to topstitch around the opening for a polished look. Honestly, I was a little concerned about sewing through all the layers (double of everything because of the top seam), but it worked out great! I just went extra slow over the side seams and didn’t have any trouble.
(Finishing the topstitching around the opening)
And that’s it! I love that I was able to use the Baby Lock Sashiko for this project. The stitching is beautiful on this bag and I love how easy and quick it was to use the Sashiko for my Quilted Tote Bag!
(The other side of my finished quilted tote bag!)
If you want to see more of what I’m working on, you can find me on Instagram @jamiesquiltstudio
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