Friday, 31 January 2014

... and a Canvas Tote Bag

I always seem to work best under pressure and have a bad habit of leaving everything until the last minute.... and making this bag as part of my sister's Christmas present was no different! I had carefully chosen the fabric and planned it out 'in my head' weeks before, but still managed to leave it until Christmas Eve to even start! Luckily I found a great Tote Bag post by My Growing Home and finished it just in time.
Materials
  • Thick Cotton/Calico Material
  • Patterned cotton (optional for decoration)
  • Sewing Supplies
The material I chose for this tote was thick calico as I wanted it to be sturdy enough for my sister to carry heavy books, so for all the machine sewing I used a denim needle to make sure it could cope!
 
I started off with the handles by cutting two strips (each 4" x 28"), folding each side into the middle and then in half again (so that the raw edges are concealed in the middle). I finished them by machine sewing along each side approx 1/4" from the edge.

For the main part of the bag, I cut two rectangles of fabric (each 14"w x 19"l) and sewed right sides together along the bottom edge (wait to sew the sides until later!)

To attach the handles, I pinned them to the right side of the bag (about 4" from each side), then sewed along the top with 1/4" seam.
Next I folded everything over by 1.5", stitched two rows along the seam and repeated for the other side.
As the fabric was a natural colour, I decided it needed a bit of jazzing up so used a lovely blue patterned fabric over the top. To do this, I cut two rectangles (14"w x 6"l) and top stitched to the bag making sure that the top and bottom edges were folded over to hide the raw edges.
To finish, I sewed up each side (right sides together) and then made a flat base by lining up the bottom and side seams, then sewing straight across (1.5" from tip of triangle).

I made sure I gave it a good iron and that was it!!
I was really pleased with the way it turned out, especially as it was my first attempt at making a tote bag. It's amazing how a deadline seems to focus the mind!!


We are linking up to these parties!


Update: 25th February 14 - this post was featured here by And Sew We Craft
 
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18 comments:

  1. Celtic Thistle1 February 2014 at 07:21

    Yay for last minute makes!

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    1. Craftysiany2 February 2014 at 09:28

      I think most of my projects fall into that category!! x

      Delete
  2. Shannon @ Of The Hearth3 February 2014 at 13:29

    My sewing skills are rudimentary, but this looks easy enough that I could make it!
    (Visiting from the Frugal Crafty Home link-up.)

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    Replies
    1. Craftysiany5 February 2014 at 17:26

      You should definitely give it a go Shannon! x

      Delete
  3. Christie3 February 2014 at 14:12

    Cute! I love the fabric & color :)

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  4. Lucy Blossom3 February 2014 at 14:55

    It looks great and thanks for sharing how to make it too.

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  5. Unknown4 February 2014 at 08:57

    Very nice! I especially like the underside.

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    Replies
    1. Craftysiany5 February 2014 at 17:29

      Thanks Mecki! It was the first time I'd tried a flat bottom on a bag, so was pleased with the way it turned out :) x

      Delete
  6. Tammy5 February 2014 at 13:47

    I adore canvas bags. You can use them for virtually anything and if they get dirty, just throw them in the wash. I love the idea of adding just about any kind of color to it. These are great for kids too. Thanks for sharing your pattern..

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    Replies
    1. Craftysiany5 February 2014 at 17:30

      I agree - you can never have too many canvas bags!! Infact I think I may make a few more with different colours/patterns :) x

      Delete
  7. ChrisW Designs6 February 2014 at 11:42

    Very cute...thanks for sharing! Christine
    ChrisW Designs

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  8. Diana8 February 2014 at 04:29

    You can never have too many bags! Love the blue fabric you chose as the accent. Stopping by via Crafts a la Mode party--have a great week-end!

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    Replies
    1. Craftysiany8 February 2014 at 13:32

      Thanks & welcome Diana! I really like the blue fabric too & luckily I still have some left over, so just need to decide what else to make now :) x

      Delete
  9. Unknown10 February 2014 at 23:38

    Love a good tote bag. I have too many to prove it. :) You did a great job! Thanks for linking up to Gingerly Made.

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    Replies
    1. Craftysiany6 March 2014 at 09:43

      Thanks Ginger! You can never have too many tote bags ;) x

      Delete

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