Hot Patterns Free Download- Life's A Beach!

This Life's A Beach tote bag pattern from Hot Patterns is great! So simple and versatile! I chose to do mine in the printed vinyl veggie fabric and houndstooth laminated cotton fabric as the accent lining. I want to be able to use mine for food/beach/pool so I'd like to keep the water out and be able to wipe it clean. Because the vinyl and laminated cotton fabrics already have some body to it, I decided to leave off the interfacing part. The vinyl fabric doesn't have a lot of fiber to it- it's very plastic-y. Be sure and set your machine to the longest stitch or else you will basically perforate this vinyl and risk tearing at the seams. This is another reason I chose to line the bag with laminated cotton. It still has that lightweight vinyl appeal, but with the characteristics of cotton.

It's larger than I thought it was going to be. Much bigger that the pattern sketch. Of course it says the finished dimensions on the pattern, but I guess I just didn't realize the size till I was almost completed! Great! The bigger the better! Good thing there's a small compartment pocket and a zipper pocket on the inside so you can easily find your special belongings- phone, wallet, etc. The pockets on the outside panels are perfect for water bottles and such.