Recipe for a Tote Bag

I've been down and out with the flu or food poisoning, not sure which. Finally feeling somewhat human again, thought I would share this little tidbit with you...

One of the questions I get asked most frequently about Apiary is, “How long does it take to make a _________.” Usually it’s about a tote bag, since that’s one of our most popular items.

I never know what to say since we make them in batches, not one at a time. This Saturday, while I was working on our latest batch of springy tote bags I started thinking about how many steps are actually involved. Here’s what you need to do to build a tote:

Prepare the fabric - cut out the tote exterior, tote lining, and pocket material. Iron fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the tote exterior to stiffen the fabric and give it body.

Prepare the pocket - Iron the Apiary Designs logo onto the top of the pocket, topstitch the top of the pocket, serge the bottom of the pocket, press up the seam allowance.

Apply the pocket to the lining – Measure for correct placement, pin in place. Sew across the bottom of the pocket and then up the pocket to divide in two.

Sew the body of the tote – Serge the sides of the lining. Then serge the sides of the exterior.

Make a tote “sandwich” – Press the top of the lining and exterior down 1”. Nest the lining in the exterior. Line up seams and pin.

Make the straps – Cut webbing to the desired length. Measure and pin in place.

Finish – Topstitch the top of the tote with two rows of stitching setting the straps in place and triple stitching at stress points.

Voila – now you’ve got a tote! See why you should buy one from us instead of making your own??

Ritual, with an Umbrella

My Saturday morning routine is to take myself out to breakfast -- I’m rewarding myself for surviving another workweek and fueling up for a busy day of sewing. The ritual is always the same but I’m constantly on the lookout for the ultimate breakfast.

Breakfast is a difficult meal for me since I don’t like eggs – scrambled, omelets, benedicts – they look great but it’s a strange texture issue ever since I was a kid. Nancy will happily tell you how I demanded eggs when I was a baby, but along the way something changed.

It’s not easy to eat breakfast if you don’t like eggs – usually it involves a horde of side orders OR convincing the waiter that you’d really like the two-egg and hash meal with no eggs. They always look at you so suspiciously like not wanting eggs is un-American.

I have been wanting to try the Liberty Elm Diner for a long time but my sleepy, as yet uncaffeinated brain can usually not remember that on a Saturday morning. I planned ahead, I pulled up to the Liberty Elm, and then I was a little concerned that so many cars were on the street – would I be able to find a seat? I walked in and found a seat at the counter. To my surprise, a dining room opened up behind the main “diner” room and I realized there was plenty of room for lots of hungry people.

I had a GREAT breakfast. First of all, my waitress was super friendly and understood my dire need for coffee. The coffee was great, waking me up while I waited for my delicious and eggless meal. I ordered a side of fruit, which was a large cup containing an artfully sliced combination of tart apple, juicy orange, and creamy banana rounds topped with a cocktail umbrella. I firmly believe a cocktail umbrella makes anything festive, but I’ve never had one with breakfast before…

My second cocktail umbrella arrived stuck in my bagel, which was toasted with melted provolone cheese and tomato slices. I was full and happy by the time my waitress refilled my coffee cup twice more and presented me with a teeny bill ($6.05 to be exact).

I was well pleased with the Liberty Elm, just sorry that it took me so long to try the place. I’ll be back soon!

Hi there!

I'm glad you've found the new home of Apiary Designs. While we love our workroom we need to take a little time to get out in the world and meet some new people.

So who are we? My name is Megan, and I started Apiary Designs with my business partner (and my mother!) Nancy last year. Our goal is to create practical and attractive accessories and household items. We use a variety of materials including both new and vintage fabrics.

You can look at photos of our products at www.flickr.com/photos/apiarydesigns

If you're in the mood to shop, go to www.apiarydesigns.etsy.com

I'm looking forward to posting more soon...