Sew Many Ways to make a Tote

 

This is my favorite tote for daily use.  I carry my necessities in it. It is vinyl lined so I can wipe it out.  I use it to stop and pick up a few things.  Carry small things in the front pocket, and take out things I carry to work put them on the seat,,,,, get a few groceries after work... put my things back on top of the few groceries I buy on the way home...

This is double sided quilted fabric I had left over from making my mom a jacket.... Made a pocket by taking a piece and putting double folded bias tape around the edge... then topstitched one of the many characters I have here for pockets then sewed the pocket onto the middle of the fabric I had cut out for the tote front,

Made my tote bag outside...Made my tote bag vinyl inside bigger in depth so I could fold over the top edge top edge and topstitch.  Then I cut out two handles out of the leftover side strip of vinyl..Folded them in top stitched them Leaving them open at the bottom edges so I could attach them by a squared off bottom of the handles and stitched in a square.

Motorcycle Grocery tote

 

Wipe Clean in and out great for guys

Sissy Bar Bag

 

Pizza Tote

 

This Pizza Tote has a theme picked quilting weight Cotton covered with Clear Plastic.  You can use any theme you like

Then, clear Plastic, in this case I used the lighter weight plastic.

I cut the clear Plastic the size of the cotton and topstitched close to the edge of the two on the rectangle so it would work as one piece of fabric.  I then, cut a piece of the vinyl or faux leather that would be bottom and top stitched it in between the two prints.  I folded the long piece in half so it would be the size I wanted the tote and stitched wrong sides together down the sides.

The square of the bottom pinch the bottom edge on each side  the same width and sew accross to make a straight edge trim and flip back out...   Then do the same for a piece of faux leather but higher so you can put inside and fold over and topstitch... then add handles.

Instructions with pictures on www.sewalongwithkitty.com

TotesTotesandMORETotes

 TOTES

We need totes every day.  I need one just to go to work.  When I go to the grocery or the Laundry, I might need 2 or more totes.  The fabric store, on a buying day, I might need 4 totes...RFLOL

My Fabric totes need a pocket on the front with a fabric Lady on the pocket.  If you are carrying your fabric with you to make things somewhere, you want to put your scissors and working supplies in the front pocket - separate from you fabric.  If you need to take a pattern or template, you might want a bigger pocket on the front of the working fabric bag.  In this blogger post I will show you making the front pocket on the bags.

This tote got an inside pocket with a zipper.  In this case I make the pocket first, by putting the zipper between two pieces of the lining fabric (vinyl) and the sewing the back of the pocket together and flippin in and the topstitching the pre-made zipper pocket on the finished bag.

Fabric Buying Totes....Sew Your Bag Ladies

 I haven't been not sewing...but I have been neglecting this blog....  So, today the accomplishment in the tote lines will be two fabric buying totes.   The tweed fabric is actually a neoprene backed with tweed.  So I am quilting cute little ladies on the fronts of these two totes... I am freemotion quilting them with some little plastic forms I got-testing testing... and these are lite heatnbond applied and then overcast stitched around the ladies.  The fronts and backs will have this really cool vinyl from G    https://gstreetfabrics.com/

1.  heat and bond lite the ladies to the tweed fabric

2.  Overcast around the appliqued ladies

3.  Free motion quilt the ladies onto the tweed fabric

4.  cut through the top of the ladies applique so you can apply the trim at the top of the pocket.  I just used the leftover vinyl lining pieces.

  

Front pocket on this is for your quick grab items..

Added D Rings and a shoulder strap 

Note:  The handles are made of the same vinyl as the outside and Just top stitched after folding in so it has 4 layers for strength.  The Top-stitching stops where you want to attach to your tote bag and just open and fold bottom edge under so it can be topstitched in a square to your totebag.  -The lining is a smoother lighter weight vinyl.

I use number 16 or 18 sharp universal needles to sew through all the layers without bending the needle in my machine.

And a past tote Hamper.... Great for going to the laundry mat.... I can throw the things into the washer and do double rinse... throw them into my bag and go to the dryers and dump them in the dryer... and it has a shoulder strap..  so sooooo convenient..

sew the clear plastic onto the fabric to make it all together   (my design fabric)

Cut two vinyl circles the size you want your cylinder laundry hamper bag... One for the inside and one for the outside... 

Make a strap the length to be comfortable over your shoulder... But you can make it longer because it will be adjustable with your D rings

Take your vinyl and add enough for a seam of some kind and wrap around your circle that is your bottom to get the correct size...-use this to measure your clear plastic over fabric piece that is the outside of the hamper...  then for the lining sew a tube 

Attach the tube to the bottom circle

Looking inside the lining it will look like this

For the outside sew the tube of clear plastic covered fabric in a tube and sew it to the other circle, turn it so the beautiful side is outside and put the vinyl lining inside

lay the two on top of each other before putting the lining inside the outside to be sure they are the same size

You can put a lid on it if you want ... but I chose just the shoulder strap.

Put one inside the other... and I then took the lining and the top edge and folded it over the top like I do quilt binding... and top stitched...

I made small tabs like the strapping and put them through two D rings on each side and then slipped the strap through them

I REALLY love this tote and I needed a hamper.  Now since I am going to the laundromat it is perfect.  Now I can fill 3 totes to the laundromat at once.. The vinyl linings are great.

This one has tote handles, but I also added the adjustable shoulder strap.  Since it is all vinyl inside and clear plastic on outside it is great at Laundry or grocery.  Wipe clean.  

I added a vinyl bottom on this one so, it would be more durable.  It wasn't easy but I love this tote and I was wearing out the bottom because it was just the clear plastic..... sooooo   

The Reverse side is pretty too.   The vinyl and clear plastic came from G https://gstreetfabrics.com/  but the fabric you are seeing is really 4 placemats for 5.00 at the craft store.

Can Never Have too many totes.

Gotta get groceries and fabrics...

VERY IMPORTANT

Sewing A Tote Simply

This is a tote with matching gloves

The tote itself is simple, the case of this one I added clear plastic on top of the fabric and top stitched  around the edge and added the vinyl on the bottom edge so it worked like one big piece of fabric.

Vinyl bottom, clear plastic over fabric outside, vinyl handles and trim, plus vinyl inside.

1.  pick fabric

2. cut the fabric and the clear plastic the same size... 

If you are making mask and gloves to match you can cut all out at the same time... sew you have cut  pin sewing stages for all three... and when you are finished...all three are finished.

3.

4. pick your vinyl too, so you have all your supplies laid out.  And make your gloves pattern.  I use gloves for the door handles, cart handles, Post office buttons and kiosk screens.They are washable like the masks.

5  decide which mask you want to match...Olson or drawstring, both have filter pockets

You can add string to the Olson Mask by making a string casing next to the elastic.  I call them hanger casings.

Drawstring Mask

6.  Cut all pieces.

Gloves and mask if you want them

the front and back fabric for the tote, the size that you want- and the clear plastic the same size as the printed fabric.

Pin the clear plastic on top of the printed fabric and sew all around the edge to keep in place and sew as if one piece of material, while making the bag.

From now on I am using the vinyl for the outside bottom to make the bags more durable as the clear plastic after a few years will crack at the crease on the bottom and I love my bags.

For the outside you need a piece of vinyl for the bottom and cut a piece for the top trim of the bag and 2 pieces for handle straps whatever size you want.   Another longer piece if you want to make a shoulder strap and for that you need two foldover tabs (rectangles) to hold the  4D rings on (2 Ds for each side).

You have folded your rectangular piece together wrong side out and sewn the side seams straight down

You have to sew across the bottom ends to create a squared bottom

Do this on both sides of ends and it will look like this

You can either cut a piece of vinyl the exact size of your original rectangle for the inside.

OR

Scraps sewn to the same size as outside rectangle

After sewing your vinyl scraps or just using vinyl you sew the same way as the outside and lay them side by side to make sure they are the same size.. the inside can be a smidgeon smaller but the edges after align at the top when you put them together

Turn the lining vinyl wrong side out and insert into the clear plastic bag with the vinyl bottom

Lining is bottom different then sides scrap vinyl

You cut a piece that is the width you need to cover the top-turn in for finished edge and then sew the ends together.. 

1.  Fold it over the top by stitching on the inside over the topstitching and then 

2.  foldover pin and stitch on top of the topstitching on the outside to give you this effect

pin straps folded in for strength and top stitch leaving the bottom open for flat attachement.

The length is determined by how wide you want the handle attachment.   If you are going to hold with your hand or want to put your arm through the handle.

Top stitch close to the edge of the strapping.  Fold under the edges of the open bottom and top stitch like you did the top band of the bag.  Then again you can use your topstitching as a guid for the attachment to the bag and just stitch over the top stitching.

Lay top stitched rectangle ends over the bag top and pin - then topstitch onto bag.

You can leave the ends of the rectangle open and you can use it as a pen holder and or business cards

OR

Using Poly or cotton straping you can do the support straping around the whole bag.  I am just two cheap to do all my bags that way, but you can see that style

with D rings

You can also choose to add a shoulder strap with two D rings on each side that can be adjusted and or removed.  Then you would need a piece the length of your should strap and two tab pieces to fold over the D rings to attach them to your bag sides at top.