If you regularly have cold feet and you’re looking for a scrap busting project, make these. For a quilting project, they sewed up pretty quickly and would make great gifts.
FABRIC: boro stripe in flax (main), speckled linen cotton blend (lining), Big Sur Canvas (sole), leftover batting
SIZE: B – I wear US women’s size 6 shoe but used the finished measurements chart to select size
MODS: made the opening about an 1″ wider. I did this for two reasons; it was a little challenging to get my foot in and I couldn’t attach the lining and exterior together because it wouldn’t fit around the arm of my machine.
Listened to ‘So you want to talk about race’ by Ijeoma Oluo while making these.
This post had to start off with my color inspiration for my Slabtown, which was another Klum House bag. I finished this Fremont Tote in early May and it’s the perfect day bag.
It has two exterior pockets that are perfect for my phone and a mask, plus a d-ring to clip my keys to. It has a small interior pocket for my wallet and sanitizing wipes, and a spacious main compartment for other essentials. Enough room for a book, sketchbook, planner, snacks, sunglasses, etc. – it’s really the perfect size.
I purchased the Fremont Full Maker Kit, which included all of the hardware (brass), pre-cut and marked waxed canvas and lining (natural), and pre-cut and punched leather (tan).
This greenish gray waxed canvas has been in my stash for years, I honestly don’t remember what I bought it for, but it felt like the perfect accent fabric. Once Klum House reached out to see if I’d be up for making the Slabtown (duh), I knew I would have to make a matching backpack. The pair will be a great travel set in the future (I hope… please wear a mask).
I also decided to add a monogram leather tab to play with my Leather Stamps Kit.
KH Full Maker Kits are so good. They include EVERYTHING and you can also purchase the necessary tools. I’m not sure if the full maker kit comes with the pattern, but I received it since the lovely KH folx knew I needed to cut my accent. The instruction booklet also comes with labels so you can keep track of everything.
Decided the tag would look better on the inside of the bag.
It’s really easy to agonize over the color combinations available. Klum House even released a few new colors (hi, field tan) with the Slabtown release. But I stuck to my matching set plan and was gifted the Slabtown Full Maker Kit, the felt strap expansion pack, and class in mid-May.
I gained access to the class before my kit arrived and watched the whole thing that same evening. It’s comprehensive, digestible, and Ellie is delightful. It makes the whole experience really approachable and fun.
I’m really happy I bought the Bakelite Mallet from Klum House and this Mini Anvil from Blackbird fabrics. They’re great for setting rivets, snaps, and jeans buttons.
Side panels constructed and ready for hardware. What the backside of tubular rivets look like.
Each step in this project is so rewarding. Here’s my fully constructed front. I ended up adding another line of topstitching on the hidden pocket zipper because there was about an 1/8″ of raw edges peeking into my front pocket. My accent fabric was surprisingly stretchy.
I used the interior pocket from my Fremont kit. It was leftover because I ended up using the greenish gray waxed canvas. I guessed at its placement and it worked out great!
Front and back become one, then on to boxed corners! The seams are finished with twill tape and once again Klum House shares some extremely helpful construction tips.
Once the rolltop is on, the last step is adding the straps!
The strap reinforcement leather is the perfect place to personalize with stamps.
Although there are other parts of my Slabtown that aren’t perfect, the way I messed up the straps is super disappointing. All of the leather is pre-punched for you, but if you get the felt expansion pack you’ll need to punch four holes in your straps. And I punched one of them 1/2″ off. GAH.
My solution was to add this silly little leather loop. I will eventually add a brass key ring so I can clip my keys to it. I guess it’s better than a random hole?
I’m so happy with these bags. Klum House provides you with the most complete and caring experience with their kits. I cannot recommend their patterns and products enough. It blows my mind that I made these. Here’s a 10% off coupon for any Klum House goods.
