Purl Soho Braided Handle Canvas tote

Did anyone see the Purl Bee Braided Handle Canvas Tote tutorial over the weekend?  I did and fell in love with it.  Good news: it's also ridiculously simple.

Bad news: the cotton duck through Purl Soho isn't cheap.  Nor is the shipping.  In fact, the total order of duck was $16, and the shipping was over $8.  Yikes.  As much as I want the hibiscus color, it will have to wait.

So now I have to find cotton duck.  You'd think it'd be easy, right?  It's canvas.  It's natural.  (This type is organic but I'm willing to sacrifice if need be.)  It's definitely a no-frills fabric.  But Google was not helpful this morning.  No colors were as brilliant as this Carr Textiles type, unfortunately, and I'm unwilling to settle because I'm afraid it'll look cheap.  That being said, I'm wondering if JoAnn's or Hancock's has anything.  How I wish we had an independent fabric store, because I'm really discouraged walking into a store and seeing NFL-licensed fleece as the spotlight fabric.  (If you're into this, no judgement, but that really isn't the focus of more modern sewing.)

Anyway, so I'll have to go this weekend.  I cut out the Lisette Simplicity 2211 Market top last night, and plan on working on it tonight.  It really doesn't look too difficult, but I've never done set-in sleeves, so that may be an issue.  I'm also awful at gathering seams, which is called for in the sleeves. 

Anyway, that's Monday.  I've had a lot on my mind lately, so sorry for the light, airy topics.  Seems better than some heavy mental!