I’m surprised at how excited I am to be making a concerted effort this year to use what I have rather than buying more. I really thought it would be like a diet, and take the fun out of everything. But, so far, it’s pretty fun thinking of things I can make with the fabric and yarn I already have!

My first de-stashing project of 2011 was found via pininterest, a cool art tote for the kiddo. I had accidentally ordered this gray print in a home dec weight when I was ordering fabrics for my Twitterbee quilt, and had been waiting for the right project for it. The kiddo is visiting my mom this week, which required a plane trip, so I figured this was the perfect time to try it out.

I got a bit confused on attaching the pockets. The way I interpreted the instructions wouldn’t have left a clean hem at the bottom of the pocket, so I just pressed it under and then did the seam as instructed, but left a bit of the main fabric showing so it would be clear where the big pocket starts.

I used a gray grosgrain ribbon (which I did have to purchase) to trim the small pockets and the handles. I didn’t do the greatest job of attaching it so don’t look at that part too closely. 😉 If I were to do it over again, I would make three pockets on each side instead of four, as I did on the right side. It turns out that the kid has more big things than little things and could use the bigger pockets. I might rip out one of the pockets eventually. The other thing I would do would be to take pinking shears to the edges before sewing everything. There’s a bit of fraying that I find every so often when reaching in the big pocket (rookie mistake, I’m sure).

It doesn’t have a lot of structure on it’s own, but sits up well by itself (when propped up) when full. I’m sure you could use a heavier weight fabric to give it more structure, but it functions quite well. This tote slides perfectly into the kid’s backpack so we can hold his crayons, coloring books, flashcards and other treasures in his backpack and still have room for Jesse & Woody (oh my little Toy Story fan).

I’m hoping I can make more of these to stuff and keep on hand for birthday party presents. I think that a kid could use this for many years, just adding in more sophisticated art supplies as they grow.

I’m excited about continuing to destash and hope to be better at documenting my projects here this year…yeah yeah, I say that every year. Maybe this year, I can actually do it!