FINALLY...Oriental Tote

Firstly,this is my 200th post. Woohoo!!
My Oriental Tote has finally arrived with it's new owner, Elizabet, in the UK, and I can post pics. I am really in love with this bag, and I miss it, but I have an equally great one to replace it. I have lots of pics, so enjoy. My absolute favourite motif is the tree. Everything looks great against that blue background! Elizabet professes love for the bag to, which is a relief. It's always a worry whether your swap partner will like what is made.




Here are the naked blocks that I started with. I had a great plan for a kimono bag, with the sleeves hanging free down each side like a kimono, but it just wasn't going to be practical, and Elizabet wanted a long handle so she could sling the bag across her body, that plan involved 'hand' (?) handles.
You can see closeup pics on my flickr site (link in sidebar)
Tomorrow I will post how I assembled the bag. I'm not good at linings, so I do things a little differently. You can see that I did make a few changes to the kimono side. I changed the fabric down each side. I felt it was to bold, and I took the black ribbon off the centre panel. It covered alot os stitching, because the seams are so small. It was actually quite fun piecing on a small scale. Maybe their are mini CQ in my future?