Win an ecofriendly, handmade, vintage fabric market tote in my giveaway

I'm celebrating the start of another sun-filled week with a giveaway over on my Instagram feed. You have the chance to win an ecofriendly, handmade, vintage fabric market tote...

This market tote is handmade using vintage fabric. Fully lined with robust, oatmeal cotton. Perfect for taking to the shops or local market to stock up on provisions. Wide straps make this bag comfortable to carry. It would also be great for stashing yarn, carrying craft projects or as a book or beach bag... You can cram virtually anything into this handy tote...

To enter, head over to my Instagram account to see the full details. Good luck!

This giveaway is in no way associated with Instagram.

Open to worldwide entries.

Closes on Monday July 16th 2018.

Tobacco Factory Sunday Market

Every Sunday the Tobacco Factory hold a market. They often have over 40 food & craft stalls. It is a thriving market promoting local produce.

On the day we went, it was absolutely freezing. But despite the cold, the market was full of people. It was lovely to see a market being fully supported by the local community.

There was a diverse selection of food stalls and craft sellers at the market. It was nice to see a mix of food & craft. Many of the craft fairs I have been to in the past have not been well attended. I think food stalls attract people into the market and then people are more inclined to browse the handmade stalls whilst they are there.

My Mum bought a handmade coat hook from Clark and Robinson. It is well made and has great detail on the coat hooks. An individual piece that you wont find anywhere else.

I bought a lovely selection of fresh veg. It was really nice to see huge muddy parsnips, rather than the sanitised supermarket versions. Incidentally, Huge Muddy Parsnips is quite a good name for a band...

I bought the other half a huge, handmade chocolate heart from Zara's Chocolates. My niece also bought two bars of chocolate from her. we demolished a whole bar of salted praline between us. It was cold, we needed the calories. I can confirm that it was some of the nicest chocolate I have ever eaten.

I also bought some spicy chutneys. The carrot chutney is incredibly fiery...we all need a bit of heat in the Winter though don't we?

We will definitely be going back and I'm considering having a stall there myself selling my vintage wares, watch this space...

Tutorial: foldaway market tote

This handy reusable tote folds away into it's own pocket. Perfect for storing in your purse for spontaneous shopping sprees. I have made mine from upcycled vintage fabric, but feel free to use any lightweight cotton. The following is a sewing tutorial for making this lovely tote. You will find full instructions and free pattern to download and print.


Foldaway market tote tutorial
You will need:
Fabric
Scissors
Thread
Pins
Pattern paper (squared)
Sewing machine
You will need a piece of material 84 x 71cm. Cut out the 4 main pieces plus a piece for the pocket 18 x 36cm. All seams are 1cm. You can find the pattern template for this tutorial below. It is not to scale and is for guidance only. You will need to make a template on pattern paper, I would recommend using squared paper so that you can achieve true straight edges.

I have also included the full two-page tutorial at the end of this blog post, you are welcome to print that out and work from those instructions.
Step 1. Fold the pocket piece with right sides {RS} together and stitch around the edge leaving a small gap.Trim the corners and turn right side out.

Step 2. Place the pocket with the fold at the top, centrally on the right side of one main bag piece. Stitch around 3 sides.

Step 3. Join the main pieces {RS} to {RS} at the tops of the handles. Neaten the raw edges by pinking or zig-zag machine stitch.

Step 4. Neaten all round the inside raw edge between the handles by pinking or zig-zag machine stitch.Then turn under and sew all around the edge making a curve at the corners.You may need to clip the corners slightly.

Step 5. Sew the bottom of the bag {RS} to {RS} and neaten the raw edges as before.

Step 6. Pin the side pieces {RS} to {RS} by lining the top edge to the mark on the main bag piece (about 7 inches from the top) and the bottom edge centrally to the bottom seam of the bag.

Step 7. Sew all around the seam leaving 10mm at the top. In each corner pivot your work keeping the needle down in the material. Neaten raw edges as before.

Step 8. Pink or zig-zag stitch around the side edge of the bag opening. Turn under and sew all around the edge. Turn bag right side out.

And there you have it, a strong, yet lightweight foldaway tote, handy for a multitude of uses.



You are welcome to print the following two instruction pages out and work from there.
I would love to hear any comments or see any photos of your finished foldaway market totes!
Copyright: This tutorial is intended for personal use only. Please don't make these market totes to sell. You are more than welcome to share this tutorial. but if you do, please could you link back to http://www.meyouandmagoo.co.uk

And finally, if you would like to follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, you’re more than welcome!

I also sell a range of handmade goodies, including vintage fabric cushion covers, lavender filled rabbits and owls and a gorgeous range of vintage trims browse my shop by clicking this link