Jungle Mini Belle Tote Bag

I thought Blend’s “Junglemania” fabrics would be so sweet-looking in something for a young girl. Little girls love having their own purses or bag, so I went looking for the perfect pattern to make. I found just what I wanted on Geta’s Quilting Studio website.

Geta’s Mini Belle bag pattern comes in two sizes and the mini Belle was adorable. Geta makes incredible bags and this is now my very favorite bag pattern. Sewing it with Blend’s “Junglemania” makes it even cuter!

Jungle Mini Belle Tote Bag

It measures 9” x 10½” x 2½” and I added a fussy cut “Junglemania” piece from the fabric panel. Isn’t that face sweet!

It wasn’t an easy choice when deciding what animal to put on the front…look at these faces! Every animal is beautiful, and the colors so are bright.

I used two coordinating fabrics for the bag inside and outside: Junglemania’s Jungle Pink and Sigrid Green.

To help keep the bag’s shape but not make it too heavy, Heat n Bond Light Weight Fusible Interfacing is a good choice. Medium weight was recommended by the pattern directions and is also available by HeatnBond. The interfacing is so easy to apply and gave the bag a nice feel without being stiff.

Cut interfacing to the size needed for the pattern. Place the rough side of the fusible interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric. Cover with a pressing cloth. Press and hold iron with medium pressure for 10-15 seconds. Repeat by lifting iron to the new area and pressing, slightly overlapping the previous area until the entire surface is bonded. Let cool.

The new Oliso Mini Project Iron worked great and was just the right size for this little bag. The included silicone trivet gives you a place to set your iron while you’re working.

Adding a flower is optional, but it is not difficult. Cut five 3 ½” x 3 ½” squares for each flower. Fold squares in half diagonally; press. Fold in half again diagonally; press. Repeat to make five petals. Using embroidery thread or a double strand of thread, sew a basting stitch along the raw edge of all five petals to join them.

Pull the needle to gather thread and petals together into a circle. Sew a small knotted stitch to join petals. Stitch the flower in place and sew a button over the opening.

*Optional: Ironing a small piece of HeatnBond Fusible Interfacing to the wrong side of fabric behind a button can stabilize the area when sewing the button in place.