Taking quilting tools, fabric, machines and other accessories to class can be a bit like taking everything plus the kitchen sink. How does one organize tools, mats, etc., to take to class and not have a thousand and one bags or containers to lug in from the car?
The perfect solution to carry your mat, cutter, rulers and other tools is the Sunshine Mat Tote bag. There are 3 great reasons the sunshine mat tote is a must for all quilters.
I’ve used an extension table cardboard box to carry my mat, rulers, extension table and pressing board to class, retreats and the cottage for the past 13 years. It saw a lot of use this summer and fall going back and forth to the cottage and it’s looking a little worse for wear. Now that I own a Vivace Sunshine Mat Tote I’ll tell you why I’m so excited to be retiring the cardboard box.
Reason 1: Large Main Bag
The main bag is large enough to carry an 18″ x 24″ mat, plus an acrylic extension table and a pressing board in the main section. If you don’t need to take the extension table and pressing board then there’s room for several rulers of all sizes. A zippered closure ensures that nothing falls out in transit.
Reason 2: 3 Zippered Outer Pockets
There are three outer pockets. The largest of the outer pockets is made of a clear plastic front. This makes it easy to see what has been placed in it. This zippered pocket fits a 24″ x 6½″ roller perfectly but can be used for other quilting tools if your rulers are in the main bag. All the quilting tools are easy to find with the see through front.
The other 2 pockets are half the size of the first pocket. The 2 pockets are serviced with the same zipper and there’s a dividing seam line stitched in the middle of them. These pockets are great for such tools as scissors, rotary cutters, pins, needles, marking pencils and other tools. These 2 pockets are made of a mesh material which makes it easy to see through to find what is in the pocket.
Reason 3: Perfect handle length
The handles are long enough that it can be used as a shoulder bag allowing your hands to be free to carry other items such as your sewing machine and the all important suitcase of fabric.
And I do love the color – a lovely purple with different colored accent stripes – we all know how important color is to a quilter.
Check out your local quilt shop for one of these wonderful Sunshine Mat Totes to carry all your quilting tools to class, retreat or the cottage. What a great item to add to your Christmas wish list.
The 3 great reasons the sunshine mat tote is a must for all quilters definitely outweighs keeping the cardboard box.
Happy Quilting
This is part 1 of 5 in this series.
Go to part 2: Quilted scissor holder in 6 easy steps – part 1
Print this page or save as a PDFJennifer Houlden
Jennifer runs Quilts by Jen, a fantastic educational resource for quilters with many great free tutorials ranging from how to choose fabrics, understanding the value of fabrics, pressing, building Bargello runs, pinning, binding, sandwiching, couching, quilting, and much more. Check them out!
I think this is the best thing since sliced bread !! Thank you.
This is fabulous!!
keep coming back to this site, new to me,
looking forward to updates and sure hope I win the tote