Denim Tote Bag

I have been sewing like crazy all week. My sewing machine had to have the clutch fixed and now, after over a year, I can sew again. I have made two tote bags, a hippie handbag and two mini purses. So today I’ll show how I made one of the tote bags.

I had some leftover stretch denim pieces that were just right for this tote. I cut two pieces 14x17” for the body of the bag. I cut a piece 5x14 for the bottom, two pieces 5x17 for the sides, and two pieces 4x20 for handles.

I got the idea for this style tote from one of my Cloth, Paper, Scissors back issues.

On the handles, I folded in the ends, then folded the pieces in half, then folded them again. This put the edges in the center. Then I stitched all the way around very close to the edge. This adds an accent and secures the fabric. The handles were put on last.

On three sides of the other pieces, I folded the edges ½” and then zigzag stitched them down. I left the top edge open (on the body this was a 14” edge, on the sides it was a five inch side. On the bottom, I stitched around all four edges.

Then I pinned the bottom to the large body pieces, with wrong sides together. I stitched them together, close to the edge. The zigzag stitching from earlier gave the edges a fun decorative design.

I added the sides the same way. This technique gives a finished edge that sticks out instead of an inside seam. On stiffer fabric the bag would stand up on its own with these seams.

I decided I wanted to put a different fabric around the top (partly

because folding these seams was more difficult than I expected). So I cut a piece of fabric 5x33”. I folded it like the handles, and pinned it in place. The important trick here is to  make sure the edge inside is in the same place as the outside. Then when you sew the trim on near the edge, the stitching catches both sides at the same time.

The handles were pinned into place, making sure the ends were all the same distance from the end of the bag. The placement is a personal preference. The farther apart they are, the shorter your handle is. But too close to the middle makes the bag sag and look funny.

 

Last year I probably made ten bags, I use them for shopping. I have gotten good at remembering to take them every time I leave the house. The number of plastic bags in my cabinet has been greatly reduced.

I will probably keep making the bags, and eventually put some in my Etsy shop. My favorite fabric for the bags is button down shirts. They make very interesting bags.

Til next time. J

Terri

Stop by my Etsy shop for new arrivals www.etsy.com/shop/1krazyrtist