Tote Tutorial

Cutting Instructions: 

 Cut quilted fabric in to one 17" by 32" piece. This will be the body of the bag.

 Cut quilted fabric in to two 4" by 30" pieces. These will be the handles.

Cut regular fabric in to four 5.5" by 17" pieces. These will be the bands.


Making the handles: 

  Take each of the two handle pieces and draw a line down the center of the wrong side of the fabric. Fold the edges in to meet the center line. Iron.

  Fold each edge inward. Then, fold lengthwise again, enclosing raw edges.

 Pin and Iron.

  Topstitch handle pieces 1/4" from the edge along both lengths.

Finished handles!


Attaching bands and handles to bag:

 Place bag flat with right side (dot fabric) facing upward. Place one band right side (zebra stripe) facing upward along the top edge. Pin. 

 Place one handle on top of band making sure it is not twisted and lays flat. Pin. 

 Place another band WRONG side up on top of the handle matching the first band.  Pin in place. Stitch 1/2'' from the top edge, trim seam allowance to 1/4". 

 Fold the top band under to the wrong side (zebra stripe) of the bag, press along the top edge.  Turn raw edge on both bands under 1/2", press and pin in place through all layers.  Topstitch along the bottom and the top of the band.  
Repeat on the opposite side of the bag. 

Putting it all together: 

Turn bag inside out and stitch 1/2" from edges along both sides and bottom. Pin side seams and stitch 1/2" seams down both sides to enclose the raw edges. Stitch across the corners of the bag bottom. 

Turn bag right side out and ENJOY!!!


A girl can never have too many totes, that's for sure! 

Love,
Michelle