Little People Applique Tote Bag

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I have a thing for Fisher-Price Little People (they've shown up here and here). I've been planning some sort of Little People project for a while. I wasn't sure what medium it was going to be, and I've had several ideas floating around in my head, so there may be more projects to come :) My oldest just started taking an intro to ballet and jazz class through our town rec program, and she needed a little bag to carry her ballet slippers to and from class. Add to that the fact that I've been dying to try Maureen's applique tutorial. And on top of that, this month's Point of View theme is "Pinterest". All of these things started coming together, and the Little People Applique Tote Bag was born...

This project was inspired by two Pinterest pins. The applique image itself was inspired by this painting from Escape Adulthood...

Source: kimandjason.com via Gwen on Pinterest

The applique how-to came from Maureen of Maureen Cracknell Handmade...

Source: maureencracknellhandmade.blogspot.com via Gwen on Pinterest

I love this bag. It is seriously in the top five favorite things I have ever made. I had no idea that the image of the finished project in my head was actually going to work on fabric. And, of course, my youngest really wanted a bag after she saw her sister's, so I'll be sharing another one of these next week (with a different hairstyle :)

For the tote bag itself, I used home dec weight fabric and followed my Reusable Snack Bag with French Seams tutorial (minus the hook and loop tape, plus two straps, and enlarging the bag itself). The finished bag is about 9" wide and 10" tall (not including the straps).

The applique pieces are cotton with two layers of interfacing on each piece. I used fabric paint to create the eyes, nose, and mouth. I also added a 2" x 3" rectangle to the back of the bag with my daughter's name embroidered on it.

I absolutely love this project, and I plan on doing more applique in the future. It's so much fun. It's like putting a puzzle together. And the outlining with the black thread just makes everything pop. I love that you can use the stitching to add details like the bangs. This adds a whole new element to my sewing projects, one that I'm going to be using a lot!

Now it's your turn... Check out this month's Point of View collage and link up your past or present Pinterest projects at the Point of View Pinterest Link Party! We want to see what you've been up to!




I'm linking up...