How to Make a Tote Bag?

If you need a tote for yourself or as a gift, you should consider making one yourself. Since you are here, it’s safe to assume that you like the idea of sewing a tote bag from scratch and bringing it to life with your creativity. The only problem is you don’t know how to go about it. Luckily for you, we’ve prepared a guide with simple steps you can follow.

Prepare fabric

Picking fabric that appeals to you or that the recipient will love is probably the hardest bit of this process – mainly because there are loads of options. Any fabric will work, be it expensive satin or denim.

As you choose the fabric, determine what the tote bag will carry. If you carry books or other heavy items, you will need a sturdy fabric like corduroy or heavy cotton. But if you aren’t carrying sharp or heavy objects, light fabrics will work just fine. With sturdy fabric, you will need strong needles to sew as well as a heavy-duty sewing machine.

Once you have your fabric picked out, proceed to cut two rectangles. The final size of the tote determines the size of the rectangle. Speaking of which, the final size will be an inch smaller than the rectangles. If you want a lining for the tote, cut rectangles for the lining as well.

Lastly, mark spots on the fabric where the handles will be sewn on. To do this, fold the rectangles along the length and use a fabric pen to put two marks inside the creases. These marks will guide you to the centre of the handles.

Sew the bag

Start by sewing the hem of the top edge (these will be the opening) before you sew the body. You do this by laying the fabric with the wrong side up, folding the edge by an inch, pinning the edges and running an iron on the edge to make a crease. Repeat this process with the other rectangle. Then sew the hem on both rectangles.

Next, place the rectangles together with the wrong sides facing out. Sew the bottom and the sides but leave the top open. For the bottom corners, remember to fold before seeing perpendicularly. This creates blunt corners.

Create two handles

You will have to decide how long you want the handles to be. However, it’s a standard to have then 2-inches wide. Fold the strips in half such that their insides face outside. Crease the fold with an iron. Sew the long edges together and then place the handles on the tote and stitch away.

Decorate your tote

How you choose to do this is entirely up to you. You can screen print a design of your choice. On the other hand, you can add rhinestones to the bag to add some sparkle. For this, you will need a hot glue gun and sparkly stones. Draw a pattern using the stones for a unique result.

And there you have it, a simple method of making a beautiful tote of your choice. Remember, you are not looking for perfection on the first try.