New! Oakland Burlap Shoulder Tote Bag

I'm wrapping up another busy week sharing a short update about our latest burlap tote bag - the Oakland! It's been many, many months since I last created a shoulder bag for the Grounds Collection. Burlap pouches and pillows have been popular orders lately, but I was glad to be able to jump back into the bag-making process and sew up this new medium burlap tote bag for spring.

The Oakland is sewn from upcycled burlap that features black and green bold industrial text, which is authentic to the original burlap coffee bean sack. There is a green stripe down the center of the burlap panels which consists of woven green jute threads, so it is completely embedded into the burlap itself rather than printed. The bold text features the words 'Oakland, CA', inspiring the name for this new bag. You will notice that the print appears at a slight angle, and that is due to the fact that the text was applied without being aligned to the thread grain. Rather than ignore the grain to preserve the text alignment, I opted to ignore the text alignment in order to follow the thread grain, which prevents the burlap from fraying and strengthens the entire bag.



This burlap bag's exterior bottom features a sleek faux black leather outlined in white top-stitching. On the inside, the lining is sewn from a beige cotton canvas that provides more structure and balance the bold exterior. I added a small pop of interest and color on the interior bottom using a woven yellow and cream fabric perfect for spring.





This tote is a classic design - one that is very similar to the bag that I have carried myself for the past 1.5 years and still going strong! It's large enough to fit a few extras while I'm on the go, but it's not overly large to where it's too heavy to carry. It's quick to grab what I need without having to unzip a zipper but at the same time, I can snap it shut to keep the major contents from rolling out. I am tempted to keep this Oakland burlap tote all to myself but I want to share it with someone else who is looking for a new go-to everyday bag for spring and summer. Maybe I can swing a new bag as part of my growing list of things to sew? Hmm, maybe so! Seems like I will need to adding a diaper bag to my everyday load before a new bag....

I hope you are having a great start to the weekend! Spring has started, and I can't wait for the warmer season. You can find this Oakland burlap tote bag for sale in our Etsy shop here.

Enjoy!
Erica