Did you know that every one of our patterns starts with either a specific piece of hardware or fabric in mind, or with a skillbuilding technique that Mrs H would like to teach?
Your skillbuilding bagmaking technique for The Piped Pocket Tote is - unsurprisingly! - how to use piping! This means that most everything else about The Piped Pocket Tote is easy to customise.
Are you on a tight budget or need to sew something with little hardware? Leave the hardware off!
Love a bit of bag bling? Use diamond strap anchors or long john anchors for your handles!
Prefer a crossbody bag to a tote? Make the long strap and drop the short handles.
Prefer a shoulder bag? Make the handles longer!
The possibilities for The Piped Pocket Tote are restricted only by the limits of your imagination! To help get you started, here is a small selection of our testers' makes!
To start us off, we have this pretty little Piped Pocket Tote from VarnaElaine of Thanks My Grandma Made It. This little bit of loveliness is the smaller sized purse. We love how VarnaElaine used the same fabric in two different colourways for this mix and match version, and the gold bag bling really brings out the rose print of the fabric!
Speaking of bling... Chanova Alcala Mabry of Nova's Knits used The Piped Pocket Tote as a stunning backdrop for her fabulous (and unusual!) bag hardware. In case you're curious about those strap connectors too, we learned they're half barrel minimalist connectors from Bringberry Hardware!
Perfect pattern placement for this gorgeous fussy cut fabric! Ingrid Adams opted not to use strap anchors to keep this pretty print front and centre for the panels. And you may want to have a bit of a zoom in on this photo - Ingrid used a beautifully matched light brown zipper tape for the piping!
Do we have any vexillology enthusiasts amongst our followers? You may recognise the clever colour combination that Marcia Pantin of D Lady Finery chose for this larger-sized Piped Pocket Tote! We think it's a super tribute to the flag of Trinidad and Tobago - well done, Marcia!
And Marcia also made the smaller-sized Piped Pocket Tote too! This beautifully bright bag is bound to stand out in a crowd! 
Here's a perfect example of how to mix and match the pattern instructions so The Piped Pocket Tote suits your style! Chris Bevan of Made by Chrissy made the smaller size of the tote with the longer handle lengths, and with diamond strap anchors. We think it's just perfect as a shoulder bag!
Laura Aarsen of Double Dutch Stitching used miles and miles and miles of rainbow zipper tape! Okay... perhaps not quite miles of tape, but there's definitely a good long length in this wonderful colourful Piped Pocket Tote! Not only is there rainbow zipper around pretty much every edge of this stunning sew, but Laura also used the zipper tape as a feature for the handles!
Low on hardware but high in style, this stunning sew by Susan McQuone of KSM Handcrafted Creations features a handy extra outer pocket! And, check out those handles! Does anyone else have topstitching envy?
Do you like having a crossbody strap as well as carry handles? This one's for you! This sweet sew was made by Maggie Mafiol of Ms Maggie Makes, who kindly showed us that the side pockets of the small Piped Pocket Tote are just the right size for a smartphone. Maggie used Textured Loop strap connectors from Sallie Tomato for this delightful make!
While we're on the topic of strap connectors, how about a Piped Pocket Tote with long john strap anchors? This stunning smaller-sized Piped Pocket Tote was made by Monica Bernstine of Castine Handcrafted
Last but not least for today's inspiration is this pretty garden-themed Piped Pocket Tote, made by Elaine Baker. Elaine turned the handles of this larger-sized tote into a feature by adding strap tabs and rectangle rings. What a clever idea!
How will you sew your Piped Pocket Tote? Pick up your bag sewing pattern now right here on our website, then pop over to our Facebook group to share your ideas! Happy sewing!
