Retired Main Sail Project Two - Tote Bags

Before launching into a description of my next effort to personally recycle our retired main sail with DIY projects, I'll put in another plug our friends at Ella Vickers.  In the past Ella has received C'est la Vie's retired sails.  Ella will give you credit towards purchases for your retired sails - Ella Vickers Sail Exchange.   My tote bags are a weak homage to the quality and creativity of Ella and her team.  Thanks for the inspiration and we will continue to send our retired sail cloth your way.

After completing the Paddle Board Bag (Paddle Board Bag Project - summer 2012), enough sail cloth remained that I was uncomfortable disposing of the material.  The remaining cloth included the M34 logo and the logo for the sail maker.  Using these two identifiable features I constructed two tote bags.

The smaller of the two bags served as a test run.  It is a simple 2-ply bag with no bells or whistles.  The size is a great fit for two stacked six packs of beverage cans, four wine bottles, or toting personal items from the boat to a marina shower.

With the first bag under my belt, I took a bit more time to lay out the second bag.  My plan was to capture the M34 logo on one side of the bag and place an exterior pocket on the other side.  The logo proved to be too big to fit on a reasonably sized tote bag.

materials cut for the large bag

 Before joining to outer and inner plys of the bag, I used a mesh cloth to create an inside pocket.  This pocket has a webbing loop on which to clip keys.

This bag is also constructed of two plys of sail cloth.  Once the two plys were joined, I then went to work on the outside components of the bag.

2 dimensional bag ready to be stitched into 3 dimensions

The exterior work began with the addition of a outer pocket that includes a grommet from a reef point as a drain hole.  Next the one half inch webbing carry straps were sewn in place.  Joining the edges and folding in the corners reminds me of gift wrapping presents only the scotch tape is replaced with stitches.  This work is completed with the bag inside out.  It is gratifying to flip the bag right-side out and find the layout works.

The final additions were a couple snaps along the top edge and a single snap on the exterior pocket.  This bag is large enough for an overnight bag.

Our main now lives on as a paddle board bag and two tote bags.