Handy-Dandy Ruler Tote

I attended a small class with friends on Saturday and made this super handy ruler tote for attending retreats.

It measures 25.5" X 40" flat. It has two sleeves (25.5" X 22.5") on either side into which you can insert your 24" X 18" cutting matt, your sewing extension table, etc, etc. Onto these sleeves you sew pockets for your rulers and accessories.

I chose to sew only 3 pockets; one for my 24.5" X 6.5" ruler (my favourite ruler), a small one for my 6.5" X 6.5" ruler, and another for my rotary cutter. Most of the other attendees sewed many more pockets than I did. One of the benefits of fewer pockets is less weight; one of the obvious drawbacks is not having enough pockets. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I am delighted with the result. I noticed that I learned a lot from making the bowling bag that I used with this tote. For instance, I used a scant 1/8" seam to baste everything together knowing that my binding seam would be 1/4" and I didn't want the basting thread to show. You always learn something.

I have also noticed that I neglect to post in-progress photos on my blog. I'll try to make an effort to post more as I go photos.

 There is 24" X 18"cardboard in the sleeves to keep them stiff and ensure nothing gets warped or bent.

 Here is a photo of the items placed on top of the pockets.

 Here is one of the 2 large sleeves.

 Here is the other.

Here is the outer front of the bag.