Done! I finished this up just the other day.  I really like it, but I’m not 100% satisfied.  To be clear, its MY mistake, not the pattern.  Anna wrote a very clear, detailed and wonderfully drafted tote pattern. I didn’t have enough interfacing to line the front and back of the tote. I used canvas instead, and it is not as stiff as the craft fuse I used for the side gusset pieces.  Also,  for the lining fabric, I used cotton which is noticeably softer than most quilting cottons. If I use shot cotton again for a bag lining, I’ll be sure to add some light weight interfacing to beef it up a little.

Oh, to explain a bit for my non-sewing readers, interfacing is a textile applied to the ‘unseen’ or wrong side of a fabric to make it stiffer. Interfacing comes in a variety of thicknesses and weights. You’ll find interfacing in shirt collars for example.  Some you can use an iron to fuse it directly to the fabric, or baste the non-fusible interfacing to the fabric. I used a combination of thick and thin, fusible and non-fusible interfacing for this bag.

Back to the tote. Construction wasn’t difficult, thanks to the well-written instructions. I did opt to add piping to the front pocket, which I attached using my zipper foot. I thought I had a piping foot, but apparently I don’t. No matter, the piping + lining + front pocket came together all right.

I made one change with the interior. I swapped out a zipper pocket for the elastic pockets on one side of the lining. With the help from this instructional tutorial.

Its a nice sized tote. And yeah, its super!

Details:

Pattern: Super Tote1 by Anna Graham @ Noodlehead
Side gussets and interior pockets: Robert Kaufman Quilter’s Linen Silver
Exterior Front and Back: Carolyn Friedlander’s Architextures Ledgers in Multi
Lining: Kaffe Fasset Shot Cotton Grape