Wizard of Oz Window Shopper Tote

It's always fun getting a request for a new custom purse, and this time it was a bit of a challenge finding just the right fabric!  The Wizard of Oz fabrics are now out of print, so finding them takes some work!  We were lucky enough to discover some for reasonable prices on ebay and from one of my favorite shops (The Fabric Cobbler), so as long as I didn't screw it up, we'd be fine!  The Window Shopper Tote is a HUGE bag, so there was no room for error!  The pattern came from the Bag of the Month club, and this is the second one I've made!  (Check out the Cinderella one!  Available on Etsy!)

The panels are big, but they worked perfect with the giant size!

All the main characters!

 Inside we used some fun floral fabric that had all the right colors.  It was a big print, but worked great with the bag size!  There are 4 slip pockets and a zippered pocket on the inside, plus 2 large outside pockets, so lots of storage!

Outside slip pockets close with a magnet

The customer really wanted all of the main characters on the outside, as well as the quotes and her name embroidered on it, so there was a lot of fussy cutting and figuring out exactly how I wanted to place everything!

I also was waiting for the new oval handles from Emmaline Bags, and they were worth the wait!  These are installed using screws, and I feel like they are even more secure than the old version, which just had tabs you bent over.

This pattern is very straightforward and not that difficult, other than installing the handles.  Even doing the installation isn't hard, but you have to psych yourself up to cut into the completed bag and cross your fingers and toes that you don't screw it up!  My Tula Pink seam ripper came in very handy for the initial cutting, and I also felt a bit like a doctor performing surgery while I cut, which was a fun experience.  ;)

It uses real scalpel blades, so totally a surgery tool!

First cut is the hardest!

Now to do a little more trimming to get it to fit just right!

My new light box is great for taking pictures!  You can even read the 'handmade' tag!  Now I can take 'good' pictures at any time of day or night, which is great since most of my finishes are sometime around midnight the night before I need to deliver or mail them...