Under the sea quilt tote bag pattern

Take inspiration from the island of Hawaii and the soothing art of hand-stitching for a satisfying and mindful project with myriad uses. Jo Avery’s under the sea quilt tote bag pattern is here and just in time for summer too! This tote will be the perfect accompaniment to your future workshops and trips to the beach. It pairs perfectly with our free floppy sun hat crochet pattern and our sunglasses case pattern. Now it’s over to Jo and her tutorial…

Nineteenth century missionaries brought the art of patchwork to Hawaii, and the native woman made it their own with appliqué designs based on the flora and fauna of the Island, as well as more spiritual symbolism of gods, legends and emotions. Hawaiian women still gather in quilting circles to work on these intricate designs all based around folded patterns. “I’ve always loved this gentle art of hand sewing. It can seem fiddly at first, but soon you will find a relaxing rhythm and you will be sad when it’s finished! By their nature, Hawaiian appliqué must be square, but a tote bag works better as a rectangle so, to get around this problem, I have made the Hawaiian appliqué into a front pocket. I think this would make a fabulous bag for taking to quilt shows – it’s roomy enough for plenty of purchases and you can keep your show catalogue in the front pocket for easy access.

Jo Avery

You will need

• Orange patterned fabric – 15in square
• Contrasting patterned fabric for main bag (background) – 1yd
• Fabric for lining and straps – ½yd
• Fabric for pocket lining – 14in square
• Fine thread – such as Aurifil 80wt in matching orange
• Template (see Todays Quilter Templates from issue 61 )

Finished size

13in x 16in (excluding straps) If you’re new to the world of quilting don’t worry. We have a beginners guide to quilting as well as a how to use a sewing machine tutorial.

Under the sea quilt tote bag pattern

Jo Avery

Jo Avery is a prolific quilt designer and maker with almost 30 years experience of quilting and blogging. Until recently she ran her own fabric shop, myBearpaw, in Edinburgh and online, as well as teaching a range of workshops and organising quilting retreats. She is part of UK-based quilting retreat and pattern venture The Thread House, along with Karen Lewis and Lynne Goldsworthy. She’s written several books for Stash Books, including New Patchwork and Quilting Basics, Modern Crewel Embroidery and 50 Fat Quarter Makes. She’s worked on 4 collaborative thread collections with Aurifil Threads and is known for her vibrant use of colour and bold quilt designs, mixing traditional and modern quilting styles. See more of her work over at http://www.joavery.co.uk and on Instagram @joaverystitch

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