English Paper Piecing: Diamond Tote

Have you ever wanted to try English Paper Piecing? We made a small tutorial on the basics of the process quite some time ago, but sometimes you need a little more direction and ideas for easy projects. Carolina Moore‘s new book with Nancy’s Notions, Learn to English Paper Piece, is a great starting point! Here’s a look at the table of contents to see what’s included:There were a few different things we wanted to try, like the Tech Pouch, Zippered Pouch, and Diamond Tote. Can you tell we have a think for bags and pouches? In the end, we picked the Diamond Tote, and made one for ourselves using the instructions in the book. Check out this beauty!

Isn’t she gorgeous? In keeping with our love of dark backgrounds, (Confetti Weave, Candy Shoppe, anyone?) we chose Moda’s gray crossweave for the main fabric.

Then, we used bits of Rifle Paper Co.’s English Garden fabric line for the EPP diamonds. We really wanted to keep with the theme on this one, apparently. Those florals are just the perfect touch of spring, which we are sure is just around the corner, right?

Once the diamonds are paper pieced, you then appliqué them onto the tote. It’s such a great project for a beginner, because there’s just a little bit of paper piecing to do for the overall project. What a statement that row of diamonds makes!

This tote has a generous strap, perfect for wearing crossbody style. You may want to shorten it a little bit if you plan to use it over the shoulder. Also, if you look closely, you can see that there is another row of diamonds on the back side, so people can see all your hard work no matter which side is facing out.

We think this tote might match everything! The gray makes it a great neutral, and those little diamonds add the perfect little pops of color.

Here’s the book inside the tote, to give you an idea on the size. It’s perfect for a trip to the library, church, or the farmer’s market! We had such a fun time participating in Carolina’s book tour. If you have a few minutes, you’ll want to check out all of the other stops on the tour, where you can see some of the other projects from the book:

Friday, January 25^th: Carolina from Always Expect Moore
Saturday, January 26^th: Linda from Linda B Creative and Havalah from Sisters, What
Sunday, January 27^th: Teresa from Sewn Up, Teresa Down Under and Stephanie from Modern Sewciety
Monday, January 28^th: Jen from Faith and Fabric and Alicia from Sew What Alicia
Tuesday, January 29^th: Sherry from Powered by Quilting and Marie from Underground Crafter
Wednesday, January 30^th: Brooke from Brooklyn Berry Designs and Melody from Two Maker Chicks
Thursday, January 31^st: Ali from Home Crafts by Ali and Sarah from Quilted Diary
Friday, February 1^st: Bobbie from the Geeky Bobbin and Gemia from Phat Quarters
Saturday, February 2^nd: Beth from Garland Girl Quilts and Bobbi from Snowy Days Quilting
Sunday, February 3^rd: Kirsty from Bonjour Quilts and Simone from Charmed Life Quilting
Monday, February 4^th: Aimee from Things Small and Simple and Mathew from Mister Domestic
Tuesday, February 5^th: Kathy from Kathy’s kwilts and more and Kim from Stitched in Purple
Wednesday, February 6^th: Audrey from the Cloth Parcel and Anorina from Samelia’s Mum
Thursday, February 7^th: Laura from Slice of Pi Quilts and Lauren from Molly and Mama
Friday, February 8^th: Sarah from Saroy and Stephanie from Swoodson Says