Forgotten Project Finished

Before...How sad is this?

I picked up several of these canvas bags a couple of years ago at a season end sale at WalMart.  I got them for $5 each.  They are pretty sturdy in construction and I planned to use them for gifts for a cruise some friends and I were taking. At the time I thought I would just monogram each of them for the girls.  Well the cruise is just a distant memory and there sat the bags. 
While surfing through blogs one day (oh yes, I am addicted) I came across this fabulous idea from a blog I stumbled on that had a good Tote Bag Tutorial  that made a light bulb go off.  I knew that the bags in my sewing room now had new life.  First of all let me say that the yellow in the pictures is not quite as jarring in reality, my camera is old and I truly have no talent for picture taking.  

Now, that's a bag worth taking on a cruise

Love the black and yellow together

Monograms are always in style

And a flower in the middle just slightly out of focus

I have to say moving forward if I do another one of these, I would probably make the bag from scratch, working with a bag that is already constructed was not easy when it came to attaching the ruffles.Actually, I ended up taking the bag side seams apart to insure that the ruffles were secured properly so that they wouldn't come apart the first time I used it.  I  sewed mine on the machine rather than by hand or using fabric glue, I do have a machine with a removable deck on it and I thought that just removing the deck and using the free arm would do the trick but it didn't. If you have a spare tote bag around that needs a little punch added to it this idea may work for you.  I think these would make great holiday gifts for friends, maybe not in bright yellow.....but a useful and cute gift.

I am participating in Metamorphosis Monday @

Between Naps on the Porch
and
Make it 4 Monday @
 Cottage Instincts