Tag: tote bag

Foldable Shopping Tote

Annika Leave a comment
Follow me

Hello Everyone!

Have you had any time for sewing recently. It is soon easter and many will have a few days off, maybe you can make some time and try this project. I have made a few foldable shopping totes that easily fits in a handbag or bigger bag when not in use. My daughters really liked them so I decided to write a tutorial and share it with you. You can find it here and on my tutorials page together with other free printable PDFs.

The project really came about from me cleaning out some dress fabric that I realised was never going to be used. I used mostly printed rayon and polycotton, which is a bit thinner and works very well for this project. The tote bag can of course be made from quilting cotton but it becomes a bit bulky when folded together.

There is a lot of positives with this project. It is a quick project that can be made in a few hours and a gift that works for most people. It is also the obvious sustainable view with not having to use plastic bags. I even used material I already had at home. I used a plastic snap buttons which are easy to find and not expensive. Alternatively a magnetic snap button would work or a button hole or loop and a button could be used too.

Speaking of Easter, I have made a few posts on sewing for easter and my favourite one is this mugrug.

Take care and happy sewing!

Annika

Project Tote Bag – new PDF Sewing Pattern

Annika Leave a comment
Follow me

Hello Everyone!

Here is a new PDF Sewing Pattern for a Tote Bag in two different sizes.

The bag has a pieced front and back panel that makes it great for using up some of the scrap fabric pile that seems to grow, at least in my sewing room.
The pattern is aimed at the beginner to confident beginner sewer.

The tote bag would be a great keep to keep your craft project or take it with you when you need to.
The bag could of course be used for anything, for example as a shopping bag or a beach bag.

What you need to make this pattern:

Small:
• Eight – 7” x 6” rectangles of at least four
different fabrics
• 15” of contrast fabric
• 16” of lining fabric
• 25” of iron on woven interfacing (light or
medium weight)
• 11″ x 2 1/2″ of heavy interfacing
(optional)

Large:
• Twelve – 7” x 6” rectangles of at least six
different fabrics
• 20” of contrast fabric
• 20” of lining fabric
• 35” of iron on woven interfacing (light or
medium weight)
• 15″ x 3 1/2″ of heavy interfacing
(optional)

For Both Sizes:
• Sewing machine
• Cutting mat, Rotary Cutter & Ruler
• General Sewing Supplies

All measurements are based on 42″ wide fabric and 36″ wide interfacing.

Get the pattern here

I hope you have as much fun making this pattern as I had designing it. The colour and print combinations are endless and you could play around with different type of fabrics like cotton drill or a home decor fabric for example.

Until next time – Take care and Happy Sewing!

Annika

Sewing Inspiration

Annika Leave a comment
Follow me

Hello Everyone!

To get my sewing and pattern inspiration back, I decided to try someone else’s pattern and make something for me. Except for some mask sewing I haven’t really been sewing for the past six months. Mostly due to moving house in strict lockdown.

I came across The Harris Tote and Clutch Wallet on the new Craftsy. The pattern is from Spencer Ogg Sewing Patterns. It was a fairly easy pattern that I enjoyed making over two evenings.

Read More

Sara’s Tote Bag

Annika Leave a comment
Follow me

Hello Everyone!

My daughter Sara wanted me to make her a tote bag that was a bit bigger and sturdier to use for uni. The bag measures 17″ x 14″ and is 4″ deep at the bottom. That is a very good size for some books and a laptop.

She likes things with cactus plants and flamingos at the moment. I had a cotton duck fabric with printed cactus plants and I bought a small piece of grey vinyl that I used for the bottom of the bag and the handles. I didn’t have any suitable fabric with flamingos so I used a “flamingo pink” cotton fabric for lining.

The bag has a magnetic button and on the inside there is a small pocket with a zipper for smaller things like keys or a phone.

 

 

To keep the bag sturdy I used bag foam which I haven’t used that much but it was easy to work with. The handles were sturdy enough by folding the vinyl  twice.

It is a very easy bag to make and I intend to make a tutorial in the near future and upload it to my tutorials page.

Until next time, happy sewing and take care.

Annika

 

Tote Handbag

Annika Leave a comment
Follow me

Hello Everyone!

I have a new pattern in my Etsy shop, you can find it here. This is my entry in the Emkie Designs Mystery Bag Challenge.

It is the first time I participate in anything like this. Part of the challenge was to choose at least 3 items from a mystery list to be included in the entry. I chose five items. So that’s the reason this bag includes more hardware than my designs usually do.

The handles have boning inside to make them really stiff. I have also used a turn lock as the bag closure and rivets  to secure the handles to the bag.

On the inside I have used a zipper for a secure pocket and a swivel hook to keep the keys safe and easy to find in the bag.

 

To keep the bag sturdy I have used  medium weight fusible woven interfacing on the outer fabric and then iron on batting on top of that. On the lining I have used light weight fusible woven interfacing.

I am really happy with how it turned out, especially the boning in the handles and the rivets.

Until next time happy sewing and take care!

Annika