Train tote

This is the train tote I made last week for Chatterbelle to take to a Day with Thomas.

But by the time we figured out what day we could go, the event was sold out. So we had an outing to the fair instead. Chatterbelle was thrilled to come home with a balloon.

It's a nice sized bag for carting around her treasures - big enough to get more than a few toys in it, but not so big that she can't carry it herself. At some point we may use it to store her train toys when she is not playing with them.

I made it to be floppy on top so it would flop closed when not filled up. But when I see it carried around it looks sloppy floppy to me so I probably wouldn't make it that way again. The train is actually a pocket. And because I wanted to make it a bit more snazzy, I added the strip of patchwork pieces cut from mostly vintage fabrics and attached it with a satin stitch.

The train fabric was cut from a piece that Chatterbelle picked out at the fabric store a few months ago. Whenever we go shopping, she gets to pick something out. Usually it's stickers, sometimes it's buttons or ribbon, and occasionaly it is a 1/2 yard cut of fabric. At the time we bought it I didn't know what we would do with it, but then later decided it would make a nice pocket for a tote. So on our next outing we picked up the ivory denim (on sale) and beige webbing (Chatterbelle selected the colors for both). I had hoped to find some railroad stripe denim, but there was none to be found at the store.

Not sure how disappointed she was at missing the train ride with Thomas. But she has been giving us tickets and then escorting us to take a seat on the couch for a ride on the pretend Thomas train. We may try to get tickets on a regular train for a short ride - perhaps in the fall.