August 25, 2012

Anita Vacation Tote Pattern Giveaway!!!

I'm so happy that I've finished my
just in time for a giveaway!


I've joined the Quilting Gallery
Quilter's Blog Hop Party!


The more blogs you visit, the better your chances to win a prize.

You can see the entire list of participating blogs here
at the Quilting Gallery.

It's Back To School time again for many of us.
We start school on Monday here in my area.

Pretzels!!!  via Pinterest

Whether you are celebrating back-to-school or not,
I invite you to join the party.

I'm giving away one copy of my 
PDF Tutorial Style Pattern for the
Anita Vacation Tote.


This pattern will TEACH you some sewing skills, like:

inserting a zippered pocket..


Stitching two-toned handle straps...


Installing magnetic snaps...


and making a divided pocket for the interior.


A confident beginner can accomplish all of this and more!


How can YOU enter to win my giveaway?
Just leave a comment below, 
telling me something about back-to-school in your life.
Even if those days lie ahead for you, or if they're in the past,
I know you'll have something to say.

via Pinterest

Here's my story...
After all these years, I still have dreams the night before school starts
{for my boys}
that I can't find my clothes or my school stuff or the bus or my locker...
and by the time I get to my classes, school is over for the day!

Please remember...
 make sure I have access to your email address
so that you can be my winner if I randomly select your comment.
If you are a no-reply blogger, you can include 
your email address in the comment.

Comments will be accepted until midnight at my house on September 3.
A winner will be randomly selected,
announced and notified on September 4.

{If I get a whole bunch of comments...
more than 100...
I will pick an additional winner!}

International readers are welcome to enter!
My pattern is sent via email in a PDF file, so there is no shipping or waiting.

If you don't win, my patterns are available for anyone to purchase
in several places including


and on Craftsy.

I hope you'll take some time to visit my other blog posts, and will come back soon!  Remember to check out all of the other bloggers, too!

Good Luck!
Pin It

154 comments:

  1. Ooo the first to enter!! I am a follower and I am loving your pattern! For me, school means starting fresh. I love the fresh autumn air - it brings back memories of walking to school and watching the leaves change colour and fall of.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool bag pattern! Back to school means back to school for me, as I am a classroom asst/teaching assistant so I see school holidays differently from most parents - I don't want them to stop lol

    ReplyDelete
  3. School is a long time ago for me now, but my daughter starts school for the first time next week. And I seem to be spending every spare moment sewing name labels in uniform!! x

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am excited for my grandaughter as this is her 1st year in kindergarten...She is thinking she is going one day and I explained to her no you go several days and a year...Making friends etc...Getting her excited about this new adventure and ready for the world...Great bag pattern..Thanks for the chance to win

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great bag pattern! I have never tried a zippered pocket before. I no longer have anyone in school and I really enjoy that! Lots of quilting time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the opportunity to win. I'm a college professor so I am always in needs of another tote. This one looks like fun.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think the best part of going back to school was shopping for school supplies. Can you tell I LOVED school?????

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have been having back to school anxiety this week for my son, who started kindergarten *sniff* three days ago. :/ Growing too fast. What a cute bag! Thanks for the chance to win the pattern. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the first day of school! My favorite was always all the brand new school supplies!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a CUTE bag!! My youngest son is starting back for his third year in college! Where did all those years fly to??I do miss the days of shopping for notebooks, pencils, and all the school supplies. Thanks for a great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I no longer have school age children and what I enjoy most about that is no longer having to rack my brain as to what to put in their lunch boxes. I once put cold cooked chicken in my sons lunch box and he came home and told me he didn't like "raw" chicken (he actually meant "cold")!I don't normally make tote bags but I see a whole learning curve for me if I made yours.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great tote, esp for quilters, thanks Amy I hope i win as i really could do with a pattern for one of these handy bags :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your tote bag pattern looks very nice with some good details. I love the crab fabric you used on the inside!

    My children are all out of school now but my husband will be going back to school in a new job. It starts right after labor day. He will be a technology coach in a middle school.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love your bag! I had 4 kiddos start school this past week 2 in high school and 2 in elementary school. It is going to be a crazy busy year! Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  15. love the pattern-- great bag!

    check out my giveaway: www.patchworkposse.com/blog

    ReplyDelete
  16. I would love to learn all the steps of your pattern!

    I don't miss all the shopping for school clothes and shoes for our 7 children. I do miss bargain hunting for school supplies.... Thank goodness they all are grown.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great bag. I truly am enjoying my students this year. They are geared up to work.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Well, I am sending my three oldest children back to school on Monday and I am soooooo looking forward to a little break! It has been a rough summer! Thanks for the giveaway- the bag looks great and I would love to try to make one!

    ReplyDelete
  19. This year my oldest is starting junior high but he actually gets to go back to his old elemantary school that they now switched to a junior high. He is so happy because he really liked the principal and even some of the teachers are staying.

    ReplyDelete
  20. My oldest starts his senior year of high school. It is scary to think I have a child that old. Thanks for chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi there. This is the first time in 24 years I don't have to buy school supplies !

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm a teacher and slightly obsessed with school supplies. I love getting new notebooks.

    ReplyDelete
  23. i would love to win that pattern . after 50 years out of school it cross my mind any more even my kids, my baby is 42, have been out a long time. i blog at wont-to-bequilter

    ReplyDelete
  24. Well, my nieces are back to school now. I'd love to win that pattern! I've never really made a tote or bag before. Mainly just purses from old blue jeans. Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ooh! This is so cute!

    I love school supplies. So seeing all those kids picking out new backpacks at Target makes my heart happy. It also makes me scared for the day my boys are old enough for school supplies and backpacks. (It's not that far away!)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love your pattern! Back to school in my life is like a big sigh of relief. I do childcare at home so my life is the opposite of all my stay-at-home-mom friends. They look forward to summer as relaxing but my summer is 10 kids for 11 hours a day. Sometimes an hour of quiet would fetch a very high price! School this years means 6 hours a day of time to myself to exercise, clean, catch-up, write and quilt...and cooler weather into the bargain!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Minhas memórias(já não tão boa)Cheiro de uniforme novo,blusa de popeline branca e saia marinho pregueadas,matemáticamente 4cm acima do joelho,era tão bom...Obrigada .tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thanks for the delightful tote, especially to learn new techniques.
    Back to school is new clothes and new friends.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Great tote and I would love to learn some new skills! Back to school means getting behind school buses on all the country stops on my way to work LOL! Gotta love it!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great tote! I haven't put in a zipper since high school!!! Back to school used to mean shopping for new clothes and all the school necessities - rather like the current Target commercials!!! Thank you for the opportunity to win your awesome pattern!

    ReplyDelete
  31. back to school .. well now it'S back to university for me it get's more cruel each year when I was 7 and got into first grade I was really looking forward to it ... now it's just a "how much longer before this is over" kind of thing.
    The only thing I shop for are note pads ...

    ReplyDelete
  32. No school age kids here, but I remember being excited to see all my friends, and hoping I would like my teacher! Love the bag pattern!

    ReplyDelete
  33. School wasn't my favorite place to be, not because I didn't like school but because I was so shy and not very out
    going! However I loved Cosmetology School some of my shyness just went away.
    Thanks for the chance to win.
    Lv2sew2011@yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  34. I remember the excitement of seeing my friends and discussing the holidays. The worries of wich teachers we will get etc. at the moment no school going kiddies, but that will happen soon enough.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I used to dread going back to school, but loved buying the new stationery!

    ReplyDelete
  36. I remember I was happy to come back to school and meet my friends. I loved mathematics. hugs

    ReplyDelete
  37. I am kinda worried about going back to school.... But i cant share what the worries are cos it's kinda silly n embarassing haha

    ReplyDelete
  38. Back to school is a whole lot easier in my household these days - I only have two lots of lunches to make - down from six around 5 years ago! Great bag pattern, thanks for the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  39. LOL, it's been so long that I don't really remember much of back to school. I do know that now, while on the way to work, it seems that all I see are those yellow buses.

    ReplyDelete
  40. With love from Russia! I am a follower! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  41. This year my son went from homeschooling to high school, and I think that I was far more nervous for him that he was.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I'm an Army brat, and many times back-to-school meant back-to-a-new-school. It was fine if the school was on base are very near the base, because there would be lots of new kids, whose fathers/mothers had just been transferred. But sometimes I was the only new kid in a class that had been together "forever". Scarey. Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  43. I miss back to school time! I still live near my college campus and I must admit I'm a little jealous of all the kids going back and having Infiniti and seeing old friends. Don't miss the homework and being broke part of it though!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I was always so excited to use my new school supplies :)

    ReplyDelete
  45. I remember High School going back to school so vividly and my excitement at finally getting to be around older kids and those who could drive. I have such good memories of that time.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thanks for the chance to win your pattern, I'd love to learn all of the skills involved. Even though it was years ago, the back to school routine with my daughter was always lots of fun, wrapping books & getting everything ready - she loved school & was always so excited about the new school year.

    ReplyDelete
  47. What a great pattern! I am so lucky that both my boys always look forward to back to school time. I am looking forward to having a little more structure in the routine again.

    ReplyDelete
  48. I'm in grad school so I'm in "school" year round, but tomorrow starts the new semester of classes for the undergrads so that means lots and lots of traffic!

    ReplyDelete
  49. My oldest grand daughter is starting kindergarten tomorrow!!! Can't believe it! thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Back to school to me is about gossips :) thanks for the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  51. Back to school for the kids means back to school for me too. I am going back to college to finish my degree. :)

    ReplyDelete
  52. I still have the "I can't open my locker" nightmare every once in a while.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I went to a oneroom country school just down the rode from our house. I only had one other person in my grade:) Thanks for the chance to win. Julie

    ReplyDelete
  54. Back to school is the best and the worst. Worst because the school wants all your money and your kids to have a million items to bring with them (charter schools) An best because the kids are no longer bored and the house just might stay clean.

    ReplyDelete
  55. School means getting upearly to me. I always hatedt as a kid!

    ReplyDelete
  56. I loved going to school cause we got new books and crayons.

    ReplyDelete
  57. My back to school days are in the past. Except for watching my grandchildren prepare each year. They went back to school this past week.

    ReplyDelete
  58. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  59. School has started here since Aug 8th! My Kaboose child, now a sophmore, is pretty much on his own ;) Not really, but I REFUSE to go in his room 5 times before he hits the floor. So, that said, my wonderful husband now has the task of getting his namesake out of bed and in the shower BEFORE he leaves for work at 5:45 a.m.( yes, there are two 5:45's in a day!) Who knew life could be this good!!Don't think I stay in bed, I'm up at 4:30 a.m. ( to see hubby off :)I just don't have to endure the wrath of a teenager each morning. Blessed, that's me :)

    ReplyDelete
  60. Ohhh what a lovely pattern. I can remember in Pasadena in grade school not being able to wait to walk to school with my friends for 6 blocks. So cool to be off with my firends alone.
    quilting[dash]lady[at]comcast[dot]net

    ReplyDelete
  61. What a great pattern!
    This year for the first time I have no children at school! instead my youngest is off to uni

    ReplyDelete
  62. I've been looking for a tote/purse pattern. This looks like a fun one. This isn't a first day of school memory, but at Christmas each class room would have a Christmas tree and since school was let out a few days before Christmas someone from the class could take the tree home. One year we had 3 Christmas trees in our house. Too funny.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Love the tote. All of my kiddos have graduated, but I use to love getting to see friends again.

    ReplyDelete
  64. This is one of my favorite bags. Thanks for the opportunity to win the pattern! My boys are both graduated, but I have many happy back to school memories, from school shopping, to friends coming over after school, to fighting with those same friends the next day, and hanging out with them after the fight was over...the back packs, the outfits I got to pick out, to them growing up and making their own wardrobe choices...the girlfriends...the breakups...the list is long! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  65. ahhhh back to school many years ago. we lived in a neck of woods away from most of the rest of town and my mom was our bus driver. My uncle and aunt who lived 3 houses over were also bus drivers so there was no missing the bus! even if we TRIED ha ha just came to your blog via the "party". love it!

    ReplyDelete
  66. Wow my most memorable memory was always being the new kid in school as we was always moving for one reason or another. I think the longest I stayed in one school was last 2.5 years of H.S after my parents finally divorced.

    Thanks You for the chance to win your pretty pattern.

    Sinecerly,
    Tricia

    ReplyDelete
  67. It's was the first day of school for me too. After 10 years in the library, I am back in the classroom. I used to remember the kids names faster before, now? Not so much : ) I love new crayon boxes and spiral notebooks even though teachers hate them.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Thank goodness I no longer have to be directly connected to the back to school madness! The kids are grow and the grands go to school 3000 away from me. I always make the grands some little things that will be useful at school, but that is the limit these days. I personaly never enjoyed back to schooltime as a child, I was one of those kids who just didn't fit in. Thank you for the chance to win

    ReplyDelete
  69. Ooh, I need to brush up on my bag making skills and this looks like it covers the basics, thanks!! I always remember being excited to get back to school and get started and to find out what's in store for me/the class this year. Now, I still look forward to my first day of "school" (university) to find out what my subjects are about, what the assignments are, and to get organised for it! Makes me sound so square, and to be honest, I'm the worst procrastinator study-wise, but I do love getting all my books and schedule and such organised!

    ReplyDelete
  70. I love the bag and thanks for the chance to win a copy of the pattern. I remember when my kids would go back to school and on the first day we would take pictures of them, no matter the age before they could leave, usually taken on the front steps. I love lookig back at the pictures now that they are all grown.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Love the bag! First and last day of school is pizza day! I stll honor that tradition even though my children are long finished school and it's only me off to school!

    ReplyDelete
  72. Ooh, I would love to learn how to make zippered pockets. Thanks for hosting the giveaway!

    I love Back to School. Shopping for school supplies was always a favorite activity. My husband and I are discussing the possibility of me returning to college next fall. I hope it happens! I love learning and would be a forever student if I could. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  73. I always loved back to school times when I was a kid. Mom would make us a couple new dresses.

    ReplyDelete
  74. I love the fall time, which I associate with Back to School. Thanks for the chance to win ;)

    ReplyDelete
  75. I love this pattern! and..I really need to learn how to insert a zippered pocket :) Thanks for the chance to win! My favorite back to school memory is the night before school, going through all the new supplies and school clothes. Picking out what to wear and packing the backpack.

    ReplyDelete
  76. I love the fabric you picked for your tote! My daughter starts "school" this year (preschool) and I'm nervous! We're trying to give her lots of buildup so the first few days go smoothly.

    ReplyDelete
  77. What a fabulous tote! And the fabric looks awesome! :) My boys go back to school on September 5th. The school supplies are all purchased, and need to be labelled. But we still have the challenge of finding indoor shoes... I look forward to them going back to school so I can sew/quilt again. Thanks for a chance to win! :)

    ReplyDelete
  78. Sending my children back to school each year is such an emotional time for me (they seem pretty fine about it!). I would love to have all of them at home with me all day, every day!

    ReplyDelete
  79. Doesn't school have to stop before you can go back? lol I'm working on a degree in counseling, and I take classes over the summer too. Glutton for punishment, right?

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  80. I always looking forward to go back-to-school after a long holidays... so that I don't have to help my mum at home taking care my baby sisters and brothers.Anyway that was in the past. Thanks for the giveaway!!

    ReplyDelete
  81. My kiddos go back next Tuesday and I think we're all ready! One last hurrah over Labor Day weekend and then I will celebrate! Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Oh what a lovely tote. I'm just getting into making bags, it would be perfect! I enjoyed getting the new school supplies. They lost their attraction after a few weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  83. back to school is not much for me any more. I have Great Grand children now. Not close by so can't enjoy the day with them.Thanks for the nice giveaway. love the fabric you chose for yours.

    ReplyDelete
  84. I love making bags and this one looks great! My favorite memory from back to school was to get the new books. And new color pencils.

    ReplyDelete
  85. What a beautiful bag! I love the fabric that you used. My back to school memory is a dream that I would always have that I forgot my locker combination. I even have the dream periodically to this day even though it has been too many years to count since I was in school. I never did forget it but for some reason I thought I was going to.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Back to school highlight! My son did not cry when I left his classroom!!!
    So much better than last year!
    Your bag is gorgeous, thanks for a chance

    ReplyDelete
  87. Love the pattern. Back to school days are past us in our house just this past year, now we are totally on get to work days...... getting everyone up and going in a timely fashion each day does take timing and co-ordination... Thanks for the opprtunity on the giveaway and good luck to all the participants.
    bonnielarson58@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  88. always loved getting new shoes each year

    ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  89. my favorite part of back to school was shopping for new clothes and school supplies, now I get to have that fun with my grand kids....

    ReplyDelete
  90. My favorite part of back to school was buying the new school bag , it had to be just the right one ;-) Thanks for the chance at your great giveaway , looks like a terrific tote !!

    ReplyDelete
  91. Back to school is clothes shopping for my grandkids. Love the tote! Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  92. I only have I left for back to school now and that is in college. I remember all those new books to cover and filling out endless forms. And all the excitement of the first day.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Thanks for the pattern, especially to learn new techniques.
    I didn't love first day of school because I have to wear DRESS.

    ReplyDelete
  94. I´m always nervous meeting new people, but I love to go to school. I´ve always taken the chance to get some education whenever possible :)
    Gun, Sweden
    gun@lapp.se

    ReplyDelete
  95. My kids are 3 and about to be born, so we don't deal much with back to school yet, but I could certainly use a tote bag! Your pattern looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  96. My school days consisted of 17 years of being a homeschooling mom/teacher, and I loved it all. I always gave my "back-to-school" speech on the first morning, and away we went. Now that I'm retired from teaching I look forward to first day of school stories from each of my children who say they will homeschool their future children, too!

    ReplyDelete
  97. Ahhh...back to school time. I have a high schooler who really isn't happy that summer is over. But I think secretly he's ready to get back into the routine. I love this pattern. The crab fabric you used on the inside is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  98. ~sigh~ I get to go back to school too, summer vacation is almost over... I work in an elementary school library. It will be fun to see how much my little munchkins have grown over the summer. Thank you for the lovely giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  99. That's really a nice tote. Would love to win the pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  100. As a teacher , I love the new beginnings of school.

    ReplyDelete
  101. No surprise you have dreams the night before school, I STILL dream about being in elementary school (and I just turned 40!) It is still magical to be young and in school learning about all sorts of things!

    ReplyDelete
  102. You have a fabulous blog and patterns! thank you for the generous giveaway - what a great pattern - I would love to learn to put in the magnetic snaps :) thank you!
    backtoschool - Wow - my youngest is heading off to her senior yr in college, middle kid studying and taking his CPA and one in 4th yr med school so I am doing a lot of helping w/ cooking and laundry to get them through! There is a light at the end!

    ReplyDelete
  103. love the bag, we're counting the days now until back to school, I really like getting their things together ready

    ReplyDelete
  104. What a cute bag. Back to school in the 50's meant getting the new Montgomery Wards catalog, picking out the dresses we liked and having them arrive a few weeks later via Mom's sewing machine and Mom. She always could make them look better and wear longer then the store bought and where did she always find that fabric, I don't remember my mother being a shopper? Mom was awesome and even though handmade, we always looked very good at school. RIP Mom, wish you were here to sew with me, yep, I learned to sew and make quilts too!!!

    ReplyDelete
  105. A nice tote for sure! I love the school supplies. I just did a post about them on my blog this week.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Great giveaway! Thanks for the chance! My son went back to school 2 weeks ago. He's starting his senior year in high school. Have a Nice Day! :)

    ReplyDelete
  107. What a great tote, and I love that there are so many elements in the pattern. Thank you for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Love the crabs. My oldest granddaughter just turned 15. She can start driving now! She runs cross country for her high school, her grandfather is the coach. It's great fun.

    ReplyDelete
  109. A new school year is a time of new beginnings.

    ReplyDelete
  110. Your bag is wonderful! My grandson is starting school this year and my granddaughter is in grade three. Their school is two blocks from where I work so I look for them in the school yard when I go by. :)

    ReplyDelete
  111. It all started for me with 'back to school', but continues today with other important events. The night before, when I want a good night's sleep and be fresh and full of energy the next day - I CAN"T SLEEP!!! Sheesh...I love this time of year though - it is filled with great new possibilities and feels like a new start, all over again! My kids are grown and I have a couple of grand kids that love school, so the cycle does not end! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  112. Even now (many, many years past the "back to school" stage) I still get excited by new pens/paper/folders this time of year. I check out the back to school aisles just to see all the new stuff (and laugh with my sister about how we HAD to have that trapper keeper with the tiger on it or erasers shaped like hamburgers).

    Love that bag. As a "confident beginner" it looks like it would be challenging but do-able.

    ReplyDelete
  113. hmmmm... back to school means it gets busy at work :) I work in a law firm, and the new associates arrive. It's like back to school!

    ReplyDelete
  114. All 7 of our Kiddo's are grown now...so have Grandkiddo's going to school now. I STILL love shoppin' for School Supplies tho.....and do! LOL Always get a few cooool things for ME too!

    Thanks so much,for chance to win your Awesome pattern!! LOOOOVE TOTES/PURSES! :)

    ReplyDelete
  115. My son is in college. He started back to school two weeks ago. Thank you for giving away a copy of your bag pattern. I've not put a zipper in a bag. Great learning opportunity:)

    ReplyDelete
  116. My mom always would wake us up on the first day of summer saying "WAKE UP YOU'RE LATE FOR SCHOOL!!" and then feeding us a lovely, lazy breakfast. winterwrens at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  117. My school days are ongoing because I am helping 3 of my daughters get through nursing school! I enjoy learning and if school was free I would go back for my Masters even at my age. The bag is beautiful and everything you make is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  118. Oh man, that bag is too cute! Back-to-school this year is a bitter-sweet time for me . . . my youngest is in her last year of high school! No more back-to-school days for me! :/ I'm excited for her, though, and all the future has in store! Thanks for the opportunity to win such a great pattern! :)

    ReplyDelete
  119. Back to school sure has changed for me recently. I homeschooled our daughter all the way through so we never really had much back to school stories. But then last year she went off to college in the fall & wow did things change! Now, the back to school feeling is filled with a multitude of emotions - happy, sad, excited, fearful, anxious, expectant. :)

    ReplyDelete
  120. Back to school brings back lots of memories. Meeting new friends, seeing old familiar faces and homework. There is so much to learn. My sister and I always walked to grammer school sinced we lived close by and then the high school buses were so much fun. Lots of memories. Lots of hard work. Thanks for your participation in the Blog Hop and giving us all a chance to win the PDF tutorial style pattern. What a great bag for yourself of even to give away for Christmas.

    Sandi T.
    sandit1@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
  121. I used to dream that I couldn't find my locker. Later I would dream that I couldn't open my locker to get books and papers. Love your bag. Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  122. To me the beginning of school, is the start of the new year. Thanks for the givaway.

    ReplyDelete
  123. I am a school bus driver and we've been back for nearly 4 weeks already. My worst dreams involve something happening while all of my children are on the bus. I cannot imagine something worse than not being able to keep all the kids on my bus safe.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Back to school used to be my favorite time of year - all the shopping - new cardboard pencil boxes, new metal lunch boxes, and all new clothes and shoes. Now, we homeschool and I still get excited and happy about it. I love homeschooling and wouldn't trade it for the world. Thanks for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  125. This year my youngest is entering university to embark on a teaching career! awolk at rogers dot com

    ReplyDelete
  126. I need to learn those things! Thanks for the giveaway! I love back to school shopping with my boys -- picking out new markers, pencils, etc. So fun!

    ReplyDelete
  127. Looking forward to being a winner! Going back to school means lots of lunch box scrubbing! Cheers, Karen

    ReplyDelete
  128. My daughter fell ill with mono in her senior year of high school, and had to drop back from advanced university prep courses to classes easier for her to pass. She's now working hard on redoing her senior classes, and is heading back to school--university this time, after 6 years out of school. (I'm one proud momma!) Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  129. i am needing a new bag so that pattern would come in handy

    ReplyDelete
  130. Thanks for the chance to win, LOVE this bag! I still have nightmares that I didn't study for an exam and I walk into the class to an exam. What's even scarier is I've been out of grad school for over 8 years!!

    ReplyDelete
  131. This looks like a wonderful pattern! I would love to learn about the zippers and two tone handles, etc.
    I remember back to school month as being too hot to go to school! But I kind of liked being back in class anyway :-)

    ReplyDelete
  132. what a nice giveaway, never added snaps like that!
    I loved going back to school when I was little. I'm originally from Denmark, there kids usually go to the same school from K to 9th or 10th grade and then they are done! 10th grade is optional.
    also from 1st grade and up until maybe 6th grade, you have the same homeroom and math teacher, so the same two teachers know you for 5 or 6 yrs and you have the same class mates too.

    ReplyDelete
  133. That pattern looks marvelous and I would love to try it! Okay, memories of back-to-school . . . I remember one time when my children were very young. All the little neighbor children were playing in our backyard 'til the sun went down. The last hurrah of summer, as school started the next day. I loved it when the children played at our house.

    ReplyDelete
  134. I loved being able to see all my friends again! This year it'll be my son starting at school so there's likely to be some tears from me!!
    Great bag!

    ReplyDelete
  135. It's been awhile...like back in the 60s...but I loved when Mom would take all six of us kids shopping for school clothes. We would have a blast. Except for Christmas or Easter, I always had hand-me-downs...so it was awesome to get new outfits.

    ReplyDelete
  136. Always took First Day of School pics of my 3 boys. They moaned and groaned but now do it with their kids. debbie73521@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  137. As a youngster i always loved the first days of school with fresh pencils, crisp new paper, and the excitement of learning new ideas. Your tote would be a great addition to my wardrobe when I go on a river cruise in France.

    ReplyDelete
  138. As a teacher 'back-to-school' days mean back to work after a long summer break for me! Thanks for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  139. Back to school means FREEDOM! Kids in school I'm free to go anywhere and do whatever I want without worrying about little fingers, crying, and slow pokes.

    ReplyDelete
  140. I loved school! If I could have been a professional school attendee that's what I would have done. Being the only girl with five brothers, I got to go shopping for school outfits twice a year..and no hand me downs! School supplies was always fun to shop for too.

    ReplyDelete
  141. I thought I was the only one having those crazy dreams about school days. I have 2 Grandkids in school. I just reminded them last week that Grandma is still paying cold, hard cash for an A or B. Their grades were slipping last year and I started paying for good report cards. They couldn't wait to show me those report cards and collect their bribe.

    ReplyDelete
  142. Nice tote! Thanks for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  143. I guess I was one of "those". I loved school and couldn't wait for the first day back. I think it was fun to plan what new clothes to wear!

    ReplyDelete
  144. I have bad memories (and photos to prove it!) of first days of school with a new hair perm that was all frizzy.

    ReplyDelete
  145. One of my favorite parts of heading back to school is all the activities that start in the fall-- high school football games, a day at the Interstate fair, a trip to the pumpkin patch and apple farms. All are my fall favorites.
    rsgrandinetti@yahoo(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  146. New follower. I just send my second daughter to University on a 7 hr drive by herself. Still missing her! (I couldn't go with because I was working.....)

    ReplyDelete
  147. I am a teacher so sometimes going back to school isn't the best part of the year for me. Don't get me wrong I love my job but I also love my free time for sewing during the summer!

    ReplyDelete
  148. I am a former teacher so going back to school no longer applies! But I love the Fall and sewing much more than teaching!

    ReplyDelete
  149. Loved collecting new books and the fun of anticipating what we will learn in them while covering and adding fun labels.

    ReplyDelete
  150. Love your tote pattern. As a teacher back to school was a wonderful time of year. My sons loved getting back to their friends and having a schedule again.

    ReplyDelete
  151. as a mother my favourite part of back to school has to be the calm whilst the eldest two are at school, my favourite part of back to school was meeting up with friends again, x j x

    ReplyDelete