Hello First name / there,

Welcome to Week 1 of the Firefly Tote Sew-Along! I'm so excited to have you join along!

I put together a video for this week's email that reviews….. I hope you'll find this video helpful (scroll down for the link). 

Here's the schedule I'll be following for the sew-along:

Week 1: June 22nd (today), fabric selection, cutting & fusing interfacing, Front pocket assembly

Week 2: June 29th, make exterior and drawstring closure

Week 3: July 6th, make lining and assemble

Week 4: July 13th, link wrap up and any loose ends!

I think this schedule should allow for plenty of catch up time if you miss a week. Don't feel pressured to rush along! But if you're cruising along and having fun feel free to go at your own pace, too. No rules here!

Week 1 Video:

Here's the video for Week 1 of the Firefly Tote sew-along! Click the image below to play the video.

Fabrics used (sample being sewn): Dry Oilskin from Oak Fabrics for Exterior, 

Arid Wilderness by Louise Cunningham (Cloud9 Fabrics) for Accent, 

Robert Kaufman Carolina Gingham for Lining

In the video I go over fabric selection, cutting & interfacing, and making the front pocket. All of the cutting measurements and cutting layouts are found on pages 3-4 of the Firefly Tote PDF OR page 3-8 of the printed (paper) pattern. Also, don't forget to use the label sheet that's included. I love keeping organized by clipping labels (provided with the pattern) to the pieces as I cut. 

After this week you should have all the pieces cut and the interfacing fused to all corresponding pieces and your front pocket all set to go. Yay!

In case you need any bag-making supplies for the SAL, I have most items available in my shop:

• Firefly Tote Pattern
• 1″-wide cotton webbing : For the “Project” size you’ll need one (1) yard, for the “Tote” size you’ll need two (2) yards. Or of course lengthen or shorten to your desired length!
• 1″-wide leather handles (FOR TOTE SIZE: choose the 28″ length, feel free to shorten them down to the suggested 25″ length or leave at 28″) (FOR PROJECT SIZE: choose the 18″ length for the recommended length or go longer if you want!)
• Zipper for front pocket (6″ zipper for the Project size, 7″ for the Tote size)
• Drawstring cord (3-yard pack) for drawstring closure
• Twill tape (3-yard pack) for drawstring closure
• zipper pulls, totally optional, but fun! Leather pulls or waxed cord

If you're on Instagram feel free to add your images to the hashtags:

 #FireflyTote and #FireflyToteSewAlong