Our Maker Series project for July 2026 was the Fieldstone Tote by Noodlehead Sewing Patterns. We chose this because it's a great summer project and works so beautifully with so many prints and solids. You can really personalize it, plus it is so fun and FAST to sew. We need something fast to sew in the summertime so we can get back out and enjoy the weather!
The Fieldstone Tote - By Anna Graham of Noodlehead Sewing Patterns
This pattern offers you two sizes to sew, regular and mini. Plus two options for customizing - an interior hanging zip pocket (View A) or a zipped top with interior slip pocket option (View B). Perfect for gifting, carrying knitting and crafting supplies, or as an everyday bag!
Skill Level: (View A) Advanced Beginner, (View B) Intermediate
Approx. Finished Dimensions:
• Mini: 8” x 4 ½” deep, 8” tall [20.3 x 11.4 x 20.3cm]
• Regular: 11” x 7” deep, 11” tall [27.9 x 17.8 x 27.9 cm]
Estimated Sewing Time: 3-4 hours
Get the pattern HERE.
This project has a free video tutorial! Go to the video HERE.
Pattern Requirements Simplified
The featured bag is: REGULAR Size, View B. Material requirements here will be for this version. If you are making the smaller size, or View A, requirements may be different.
- 1) Exterior Fabric: 1/2 yd
- 2) Exterior Accent Fabric: 1 x 18" (half yard) roll of Faux Leather
- 3) Lining: 3/4 yd
- 4) Fusible Woven Interfacing: 1 Yard EB-Fuse LIGHT & 1 Yard, EB-Fuse MEDIUM
- 5) #5 Zipper: 1 x 24" zipper
- 6) 1" Wide (25mm) Webbing for Handles: 3 Yards
Colourway Inspiration
We've use Prairie Faux Leather in Saddle Brown, Thick Striped Black Essex Yarn Dyed Linen and complimentary Essex Yarn Dyed linen in our sample. These were so popular they sold out right away, but we hand picked some substitutions that looked just as gorgeous, if not even more! Really, the possibilities are endless with this pattern.
Other Combinations We Picked
Bags from the Emmaline Team
Team members Tennille and Steph both had fun with this pattern and ended up making 3 bags each! While Steph chose a more textured and soft colourway with our Wide Ribbed Velvet Corduroy, Tennille chose several prints from Ruby Star Society collections from the shop and went bold, her signature style.
TIPS FROM THE STUDIO:
When Tennille made up her bold and colourful bags, she had 'dopamine sewing' in mind, which is a phrase we have coined where you sew fabrics together that make you feel good while you are sewing them!
Tennille had some tips to share with us for choosing fabric, and we thought they would be very valuable to share here with you!
TENNILE SAYS:
***Hints for Mixing and Matching Fabrics: While there aren't hard and fast rules to this, I use a basic formula when making a bag where I want to take a risk and use all my favourite, fun and colourful fabrics - Focal print + Accent/Contrast print + Small print + Geometric print + Solid! If more muted fabrics are your preference, the same formula can be applied. The easiest way to mix and match is to use fabrics from the same line or designer but as you practice, you'll be able to mix and match with a variety of prints from a variety of designers
Start with your Focal Print - this is typically used for the main and largest piece of your bag. This is typically a busier, more intricate pattern or a bold, more graphic image (see the typewriter bag in the July Issue of The Making series).
Add an Accent/Contrast - this can be either a pattern or a solid. If using a solid, choose one of the colours used in your focal print, typically the shade that is opposite on the colour wheel will create a fun pop. If you choose a print, it should share at least two colours with the main fabric and be a different scale. For example, if your focal print is a large multi coloured floral, your accent print could be a medium scale polka dot or stripe.
Add a Small print - this print will share many of the same colours as the focal print but be much smaller in scale. Think small florals, dots, hearts, doodled images. A great place to use a small print is the pocket, binding or inner panel.
Add a Solid - the eye needs somewhere to rest. A solid fabric in a coordinating colour will provide that. On the Fieldstone the two best places to use a solid are the gusset or the lining.
Add a Geometric print - a geometric print for me is almost always something black and white!! (geometric/stripe/dot or any other black and white print). However, this tends to only really work if 1) there's black elsewhere in your fabrics AND 2) your fabrics lean bold and bright. If you lean more subtle your geometric print might be grey and cream, still high contrast but softer. This can look great on the gusset, the inner panels and the binding!
Do you want to go one step further? ADD TEXTURE!! Think corduroy or a pre-quilted cotton!
Community Makes to Inspire!
We'd love to show you what our followers have been making too. We do have a lot of entries in our first Emmaline Maker Series, and one of these lucky makers will a random draw for a $50.00 Gift Card to use at Emmaline. Makers have until August 15, 2026 to post in our Facebook group or tag us on Instagram with the hashtag #emmalinemakerseries to enter.
Explore Maker Series Projects
If you would like to see our current Emmaline Maker Series project: GO HERE
Thanks for reading!!