Bonnie's Hand-Quilted Tote Bags — CRAFTFOLK ✦ ✦ ✦ Handmade in Black Mountain, North Carolina Bonnie Hartwell, 68. She learned to quilt as a girl at her grandmother's frame. For more than forty years she has made hand-quilted totes, one at a time. This is her final collection. "My grandmother taught me to quilt when I was a girl. I made blankets for years, until a neighbor asked if I could make her something like it she could carry every day. That was the very first tote. I've been making them ever since." — Bonnie Hartwell, Black Mountain, North Carolina What You Receive Everything That Ships With Your Tote ✦ THE TOTE ✦ Your Handmade Tote 100% handmade. 3-layer wave-stitch quilted. Your chosen design, ready to carry. ✦ YOUR DESIGN ✦ Six Designs Available Books & Daisies, Books & Lilies, Bluebonnets, Honey Bee, Safari Elephant, Sleepy Dachshund. Each individually appliquéd. ✦ A NOTE ✦ Bonnie's Card A brief handwritten note from Bonnie included with every order. A small piece of the tradition. ✦ GUARANTEE ✦ 90-Day Returns If it doesn't feel right when it arrives, send it back within 90 days for a full refund. ✦ ✦ ✦ Why This Tote Six Things You Won't Find on a Printed Bag Every detail below is the result of more than forty years of making the same thing well, and refusing to cut corners on any of it. ✦ Construction Real 3-Layer Quilted Build A heavy cotton-poly outer shell, a full batting interior, and a dense wave-stitch pattern that locks all three layers together. Run your thumb across it. You can feel every stitch. That is not a print. That is real quilting. ✦ Motif Appliquéd, Not Printed The motifs, from the books and wildflowers to the honeybee, the elephant, and the sleepy dachshund, are individually cut, layered, and stitched onto the panel by hand. They will not crack, peel, or wash off. A printed graphic is a picture of a design. An appliqué becomes part of the bag. ✦ Handles Bartacked at Every Stress Point Wide reinforced canvas handles, bartacked at the points where handles fail. They won't dig into your shoulder on the walk from the car, and they won't split at the seam when the bag is packed full. Bonnie has been bartacking these handles for more than forty years. ✦ Capacity Holds Everything, Every Day A farmers-market haul, a stack of library books, a water bottle, your tablet and keys, with room to spare. The tote holds its shape instead of collapsing at the bottom. The lining wipes clean. Most customers say it becomes their everyday bag within a week or two. ✦ Care Machine Washable Gentle cold, lay flat to dry. The stitching holds because it is sewn through three layers, not glued, not printed, not heat-pressed. Bonnie has customers who have washed the same tote dozens of times. It comes back the same. ✦ Longevity Built to Last for Years Above her work table, Bonnie keeps a corkboard of photos her customers send in. Some have carried the same tote for fifteen years. That is not a throwaway bag. It is a piece of daily life. This one is made the same way. ✦ Craft Note "The difference between a genuinely quilted bag and a printed one is immediately obvious when you hold both. A true quilted piece has loft. You can feel the batting beneath the surface, and the stitching creates a raised pattern that gives the fabric real body and weight. What Bonnie is making is the real thing: a three-layer quilted construction with hand-placed appliqué, the same approach quilters have used for generations. A bag built this way will outlast most leather goods on the market." Ruth Callahan — Master Quiltmaker · 28 years · Former President, Carolina Quilters Guild Where It Goes Made For These Moments ✦Farmers Market Saturdays ✦The Library & Book Club ✦The Office & Commute ✦Weekend Errands ✦A Gift for Mom or Grandma ✦The Garden & Porch ✦Everyday Carry, Year-Round ✦ ✦ ✦ Quality Promise Five Things You Get With Every Tote ✓ 100% Handmade by Bonnie Every tote is cut, layered, quilted, appliquéd, and inspected by Bonnie herself. No factory, no assembly line, no shortcuts. ✓ Real Quilted Construction — 3 Layers, Batting Inside Heavy cotton-poly face, full batting interior, wave-stitch quilting throughout. The tote holds its shape when loaded. It does not collapse. ✓ Original Designs — Appliquéd, Not Printed Each design element is individually cut and stitched onto the panel. Six designs to choose from. None of them will crack, peel, or fade with washing. ✓ Bartacked Handles — Won't Split or Dig Wide reinforced canvas handles, bartacked at every stress point. Carry a full load without the strap digging into your shoulder or pulling from the seam. ✓ About 400 Totes — Final Collection, No Reorders Bonnie's final collection is strictly limited. About 400 totes remain. When they are gone, the workshop in Black Mountain closes. There will be no restock. ✦ ✦ ✦ 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee If the tote doesn't feel right when it arrives, whether it's the weight, the stitching, the motif, anything, send it back within 90 days for a full refund. No questions, no forms. Just an email to our team. ✦ A Note From Black Mountain Bonnie hand-finishes every tote and signs off on each one before it ships. Slight variations in the quilting pattern and motif placement are a natural part of handmade construction. No two totes are exactly alike, and that is by design. The appliqué is hand-placed. The wave-stitch is hand-guided. The bartacking is done one handle at a time. These are not flaws. They are the maker's hand at work. More than forty years of it. The Details Product Specifications Material Heavy cotton-poly blend outer shell, full batting interior, wipe-clean lining Construction 3-layer wave-stitch quilting, hand-placed appliquéd motifs, bartacked handles Available Designs Books & Daisies · Books & Lilies · Bluebonnets · Honey Bee · Safari Elephant · Sleepy Dachshund Opening Wide open top for easy access, with reinforced bound edges Handles Wide reinforced canvas, bartacked at every stress point — shoulder-carry or hand-carry Interior Lined interior with a slip pocket for phone and keys Approximate Size 13″ W × 16″ H (33 × 40.5 cm) — roomy enough for books, the market, and the day's errands Care Machine washable — gentle cold, lay flat to dry. The stitching holds because it's sewn through, not glued. Occasion Everyday carry · Farmers market · Library & book club · Gifting Maker Bonnie Hartwell — quilting for more than forty years, Black Mountain, North Carolina Final Collection About 400 totes remain — no reorders once sold out Guarantee 90-day full refund, no questions asked
Books & Lilies, Books & Daisies, Safari Elephant, Bluebonnets, Sleepy Dachshund, Honey Bee