Today's blog post is a special one because I'm here to share our first sewing pattern, The Monstera Tote! The Monstera Tote Pattern is available as a pay-what-you-want purchase. All proceeds from the sale go to support Thrifty's shop sustainability initiative. Currently, we're working toward the goal of fitting our building with solar panels. All the product sales from our Zero Waste Studio (including patterns) will directly go toward our solar panel project.
The idea for this pattern was born a few years ago when I was digging through a scrap bin at our sister-store Fenceline Fabrics (may she rest in peace). I found a piece of this beautiful monstera canvas, which was out of print at the time, and I was determined to find a use for it!
I took it home knowing I'd make something out of it eventually, but with no real project in mind. Then I saw a scrap in my stash from an old leather shirt I had cropped for a previous project and I knew exactly what these fabrics should be! After adapting an old vinyl-bottomed tote pattern I drafted years ago, I ended up with an updated version of the bag that I love and am excited to share with you!
If you want to make your tote bottom from leather, like ours, be sure to check out our tips and tricks to get started. Sewing with leather and vinyl can be intimidating if you've never done it before, but we know you can do it!
We always recommend checking your stash for any suitable materials you may have laying around, but you can definitely check out our leather page if you'd like to go that route and don't have any already.
You can also check out my video tutorial for more details on the pattern:
Happy Sewing!
Kelly