This holiday season is the best time to show off your amazing sewing and fashion skills AND make some great gifts filled with hand-made love! With your sewing prowess you learned at Fashion Class, this next hand-made holiday gift should be an easy one: a tote bag, in any color and pattern you can imagine!
You can make one for Grandma to hold her magazines while she’s on-the-go, one for your brother to pack his lunch, and one for your best friend to use as her purse when you go to the movies together! These bags are useful and change character depending on the size you make them and what kind of fabric and ribbon you use.
Remember! If you’re feeling daunted to make these projects at home, we will be having a Holiday Gift Making Workshop next weekend where you can come by and make a variety of projects — materials are included and we’ll be there to assist you the whole way through! Register here if you haven’t already! See you Saturday, December 22 from noon to 4pm at the Midtown Studio location.
Tote Bags!
1. Cut out 2 rectangles of fabric. This is where you decide if you want a big tote bag or a little one. Remember that your bag will end up being about 1 inch smaller on all sides after you finish sewing it. For a basic tote bag that can carry a laptop or a magazine, and a couple other essentials, I recommend using a rectangle 16 inches by 14 inches. Both rectangles you cut should be the same size.
Also pick out a ribbon that you would like to use as the tote bag handles. Cut two pieces of ribbon, each about 22 inches long: a bit longer if you want it to be a cross-body bag, and a bit shorter if you’d like it to be a carry-tote.
2. Sew the handles: lay the ends of the ribbon on the top edge of the “right side” of your fabric rectangle. Pin and sew all the way across the top, attaching the handles and hemming all at once. Repeat on the other side.
3. Flip the piece of fabric over so the “wrong side” is facing you, and then fold the top edge (that you just sewed) over about 1.5 inches, with the handles sticking up. Pin and sew this fold over, sewing along the bottom edge (over the seam you just sewed). Repeat on the other side.
4. To make the bag more sturdy, sew another seam on the new top edge of the bag, sewing the handles down again as well. Repeat on the other side.
5. Sew the bag together: lay the two sides of the tote on top of each other, right side to right side. Pin and sew all the way around the edges — 3 sides only. Do not sew the top closed!!
6. Turn your bag inside-out and bam! you have an amazing little (or big!) tote bag! You can decorate with hand sewing, buttons, gluing gems or more decorations onto the bag.
Next Gift Guide: hand-made pillows!
Hope to see you at the Holiday Gift Making Workshop next weekend!!
The photos and inspiration for this post from The Purl Bee blog.
