learning – Sew Beach Life

Sew Simple Tote Tutorial

Whether you’re participating in a Secret Santa or handmade holiday gift exchange, or just want a useful tote bag to have on hand, I’ve got a simple tutorial for you. If you’re a bag maker, you probably already have some wonderful patterns. But if you’re like me, and only randomly make bags when the need arises, this idea should work for you.

I was originally going to use an old McCall’s Crafts pattern I had in my stash. But once I started digging through the tissue paper pattern, trying to find all of the pieces for the view I wanted to make, (with my cat batting at and biting the tissue paper) I decided it was easier to make up my own pattern! Since all of the pieces are rectangles, if you use a quilting ruler and rotary cutter and mat, you don’t need actual pattern pieces.

The tote bag is designed to be reversible, with a row of pockets on both the inside and outer side. You can use all the same fabric, two (or more) coordinating fabrics, or just use an accent fabric for certain pieces like I did. Here are the measurements for all of the pieces you will need:

4@ 12″h x 15″w for the side panels (you can make two of them in coordinates if you’d like)
4@ 12″h x 5″w for the end panels (again, two can be coordinating fabric)
2@ 5″ x 15″ for the bottom (one can be a coordinate)
1@ 12″h x 15″w for the outer pocket
1@ 11″h x 15″w for the shorter inner pocket
4@ 2″ x 24″ for the straps (two can be coordinates)
You will also cut all of the above out of interfacing, (a heavier weight is better at stiffening the bag)

I used Art Gallery Fabrics 100% premium cotton, (the AGF canvas would also work great!), and stretch twill that I purchased from Phee Fabrics. This print is called Botanists Essay, and it is one of my favorite prints. The stretch twill is actually navy, though it almost looks black in my photos. I like the simple contrast of the solid twill against the floral print.

The first step is ironing the interfacing to the wrong side of all your pieces. Of course I ran out of iron-on interfacing and instead had to baste regular interfacing to my pieces. 😦 Let’s just say that iron-on works better. 🙂

The next step is making the pockets. Fold the pocket pieces in half, wrong sides together so that they are still 15″ wide. Lay the outer pocket on top of one of the side panels, lining it up with the bottom and sides. Baste the pocket to the side panel along the bottom and sides. To form pockets, measure over 8″ from the left hand side and stitch, being sure to tack at the top of the pocket. Measure 5-1/4″ from the right hand side and stitch, again tacking at the top of the pocket. These pockets are sized to work great for your phone, a pen, your keys, etc.

The inner pockets are made in a similar way. Lay the inner pocket on top of a side panel, lining it up with the sides and the bottom. Baste the pocket to the side panel along the sides and bottom. Measure 5-1/2″ from each side and stitch, tacking at the top of the pockets. These pockets are sized to hold a notepad or tissues, and perhaps some gum or snacks! Feel free to adjust the pocket sizes to suit your needs.

Now it’s time to assemble the tote bag. Lay an end panel on the outer pocket side panel, right sides together and stitch along the side seam, using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Then line up another side panel with the long unsewn side of the end panel, and stitch. Then line up the other end panel on that side panel, and stitch. Finally, line up the edges of the end panel and the pocket side panel and sew them together so that you end up with a rectangular tube.

To assist with sewing the bottom onto the tote, I like to mark the four corners 1/2″ from the edges on the wrong side of the fabric. Line the bottom piece up with the bottom of one of the side panels ensuring that the 1/2″ markings line up with the seams, and that they are right sides together. Stitch, being sure to back stitch at both ends.

Rotate the bottom so that one of the short sides lines up with the end panel, and stitch from one 1/2″ mark to the next. The marks should line up with the seams. Then rotate the bag again to line up the other long edge of the bottom with the other side panel, matching the 1/2″ marks and seams, and stitch. Finally, rotate one last time to line up the final short side of the bottom with the final end panel, and stitch. Clip the corners, being sure to not cut through the stitching line.

Repeat this process of sewing the sides and ends together, then adding the bag bottom with the “lining” or inner side of the bag. Then it’s time to make the bag straps.

I used contrasting fabric so that one side of the straps are floral, and the other side is solid. Place the two strap pieces right sides together, and stitch the two long sides. Repeat with the other two strap pieces, and turn both straps right sides out. Press and top stitch the long edges of the straps. Measure 3″ from the seam on the side panels and pin an end of the strap in place, lining up the ends of the strap with the top of the bag. Stitch each end of the strap in place, being sure not to twist the strap. Repeat with the second strap on the other side panel.

It’s finally time to sew the inner and outer layers together. Turn one bag inside out. Place the other bag inside of it, so that they are right sides are together. Ensure that the straps are safely tucked between the two layers, and pin along the top of the bag. Stitch along the top of the bag, leaving a 2-3″ opening so that you can turn the bag right side out. Once the bag is right sides out, press and top-stitch along the top edge.

You’ve got a handy dandy tote with three pockets on the outside.

And three pockets on the inside. (Since it’s reversible, it can also be flipped so that the inner pockets are on the outside.)

To add stability to the bottom of the bag, I needed a hard thin piece of plastic to stick in the bottom of the tote. Originally, I considered sewing a piece of plastic canvas between the two bottom layers. Apparently my local craft store no longer carries plastic canvas, so that idea was out. My husband came up with a solution when he mentioned that he had a couple of plastic lids in the garage that didn’t match any of the storage bins. After moving and reorganizing the garage, he threw away the cracked and broken bins, but had kept the lids. So I drew a 4″ x 14″ rectangle on one of the lids, and cut it out with some tin snips (my husband likes tools, and almost always has the proper tool for the job on hand!) I sanded the cut edges to ensure that they were smooth, and slid the plastic in place at the bottom of the tote.

The plastic insert can be removed and wiped clean, and the tote can be thrown in the washer and dryer in case of a spill. I always wash and dry my fabric before sewing, so I never have to worry whether anything will shrink after making it.

And there you have it! A simple tutorial and a new tote bag to use or gift. Once you’ve sewn a tote, you can always personalize the size and shape and pocket formation of the next one to suit your needs.

Thank you for reading and sharing my love of sewing, patterns, fabric, creating, and design. ❤

All The Walls

We started stripping the wallpaper in our master bedroom yesterday. We’ve never cared for the grass-cloth wallpaper, it was on the walls when we moved in. Like most people, every house we’ve ever lived in has been a “fixer upper”. As time and budget allowed, we gradually improved each place, turning them into nicer homes.

Our old home of 20 years had wallpaper in nearly every room when we bought it. From a foil print velvet floral flocked wallpaper in the bathroom, to a brown vinyl textured in the living room and kitchen (which coordinated so nicely 😉 with the brown tile countertop with an impressed grassy plant design) to the burgundy vinyl “accent wall” and plush gray, carpet-like wallpaper in the master bedroom. It took me months to strip all the old wallpaper off, scrub down the walls to remove the glue residue, and prime and paint all the walls. But gradually, working on it on nights and weekends, I got it done, and really improved the look of our home.

When we first moved to Florida and stayed at my Mom’s old house for three months while we house-hunted, we started fixing it up for her. We replaced hardware and faucets, and installed a storm door on the back door. The rotten, shredding curtains were replaced with mini-blinds. And I stripped wallpaper. The ditsy patterned wallpaper in the kitchen was the first to go.

Then I moved on to the dining room and family room. The textured wallpaper was very thoroughly stuck, and bits of drywall came off when I peeled it off bit by bit. Which meant I had to do a lot of patching after spending days scrubbing all of the glue residue off.

Eventually I was able to prime and paint, and ended up with a cute dining area in which to eat and sew. Don’t judge- I’m sure I’m not the only one who works at their dining table! Speaking of sewing, my Grandmother made the seaside picture on the right of the photo using trapunto, a form of quilting popular back in the ’90s. It’s currently hung in our guestroom, and reminds me of the long line of sewists in our family.

When we moved to our new home, as soon as I finished cleaning, I started painting. I covered up the school bus yellow kitchen walls, and painted the sunroom, living room and office poo brown ceilings white. I scraped and scrubbed the elephant wallpaper border off the walls of Dan’s office, and painted over the deep red walls. Eventually I moved on to the main bathroom. The metallic copper colored walls and gold ceiling had to go. Along with the horrible wallpaper, which, one of my friends commented, looked like mold. 🙂

They must have used super strength glue, and obviously did not properly prep the walls before installing the wallpaper, because it came off in tiny little bits. Hundreds if not thousands, of tiny little bits.

Needless to say, after that time-consuming process, I didn’t even feel like tackling the grass-cloth in the master bedroom. So here we are, a year and a half later, finally ready to face the task of removing wallpaper once again. But this time I had help! Dan helped me peel and scrape off the grass-cloth. I started scrubbing off the residue, but it was getting late and I was tired. So I’m maybe a quarter of the way through scrubbing, and then I can move on to priming and painting. Yay! And phew!

All of this talk about working on the walls got me thinking about the walls in our lives. What kind of walls do we put up to hide, to avoid, to protect? Protective walls can be good. We all need shelter from the storms. But are we putting up walls to avoid people because we’re scared? Scared to talk to them? Scared to reach out in friendship, or deal with a relationship? Do we put up a wall to “block out” God? Are we scared to have faith? To consider depending upon someone other than ourselves? Are we afraid of what that faith, and relationship with God, with Jesus, might require of us?

Are you thinking of knocking down some of those walls? Of opening your heart and your mind to new relationships and possibilities? It’s easier than you think. Take one small step forward, crack open the door, throw open the window, and invite life in. Pray. It can be nothing more than a simple conversation, talking to God. But it can mean so much more. It can be the start, or the continuation, of an everlasting relationship. Are you ready to knock down some walls?

Bloom Where You’re Planted

Dan and I watched a movie the other night called Passengers. It was about a guy on a spaceship that was travelling to an outpost to start a new life. He and all the other 5,000 passengers were placed in suspended animation in these special pods for the 90 year journey. Something went wrong with his pod, and he woke up on the ship with 89 years still left in the journey, rather than waking up 4 months before arriving at their destination as planned.

It was a very thought provoking movie, because I think we all go through periods where we struggle and rail against how things are versus how we thought they would be. As a child you think that adulthood will be this wonderful thing because you can do whatever you want, rather than just what your parents and teachers tell you to do. And it is a wonderful thing, but you have to deal with your responsibilities, so it’s not as easy as your childhood fantasy envisions.

As a young couple you imagine having children, and how awesome it will be to become parents. And it is awesome! But you cannot fathom just how overwhelming it can be until you’re living the reality. The complete and utter exhaustion you feel when your infant is waking up every two hours to nurse and you can only daydream about ever actually sleeping again. The unbelievably large number of times that you will have to clean pee, poo, and “spit up” off your baby, yourself, (and any and every) nearby surrounding. The utter defiance of your strong willed nearly two year old who no longer wants to wear what you picked out, but insists upon choosing her own outfits as she learns to assert her independence. Thankfully, these moments are balanced out by hearing your child excitedly exclaim “Mama!” or “Dada!” as soon as they see you. And the peace of feeling them contentedly snuggled into your arms or sitting on your lap. And the sheer delight of hearing them laugh or giggle, truly one of my favorite sounds in the world! And the overwhelming joy that fills your heart when they hug you, or give you wet, slobbery “smooches”, or say, “I love you”.

Don’t even get me started on how completely wonderful it is to experience these things as a grandparent. My heart nearly burst the first time Lila said “I love you” back to me! And the aching joy I felt when I had her giggling and laughing uproariously when we played “This little piggy” during a car ride, sustains me when we have to go months without flying up to visit.

Life can be very challenging. We all go through tough times where we worry about our family, our friends, our finances, our health, and every other situation that tests us. But constantly thinking that life would be better if only we lived, worked, had, or did something or somewhere else, robs us of the joy of loving where we are at.

Do you ever stop to consider that the trials you are going through are moments of learning? They are teaching you something, and preparing you for the next moment in life. Are you learning patience, compassion, forgiveness, and love? Are you gaining wisdom and experience so that you can deal with the next challenge in your life?

Instead of yearning for the next thing, the next place, the next person, appreciate the wonder of this moment in life. In other words, bloom where you’re planted! Don’t worry, life will keep on happening. And soon enough you’ll grow, leaves reaching toward the sun, growing stronger, and branching out.