Quilted Patchwork Tote Bag Tutorial (Part 2) ~ DIY Tutorial Ideas!

How to Sew Patchwork Tote Bag. Free Sewing Tutorial. Today we’re finishing our bag!

This is a continuation. See Part One Tutorial here.

Materials:

    lining fabrics 1 & 2
    light fusible interfacing
    stiff interfacing
    your ribbon
    one snap fastener

It will also be handy to have a water erasable pen. This is a pen, usually a blue colour, which you can draw onto your fabric with, then erase by wetting it. If you don’t have one of these, you could mark lines with pins.

First we’re going to make our bag handles. Cut 2 strips from each of your lining fabrics, measuring 27″ x 3″.

Iron light fusible interfacing to the lining fabric 2 strips. Cut the excess interfacing away.

Sew the ribbon to one end of the right side of one of your lining fabric 1 strips. This will help to turn the bag handles. {More on that in a bit.}

Pin your lining fabric 1 strip {with ribbon attached} to a lining fabric 2 strip with right sides facing. Make sure your ribbon is laying right down the centre and won’t be caught in either side seam.

Sew down both long edges with a 1/2″ seam.

Now it’s time to turn your bag handles right way out. Start by folding in the end where the ribbon is attached {see photo}. Then gently pull on the ribbon while pushing the fabric back, until your bag handle is right way out. Unpick the ribbon.

Repeat steps 3-6 for the other bag handle.

Press your bag handles. Sew 2 lines along the length of the bag handles, 1/4″ from either edge, then sew another line in the middle of those 2 lines. Repeat for other handle.

Place one end of your bag handle, with lining 1 facing the bag, 2″ from the side seam of the bag, and overhanging the top by about 1/2″. Pin in place. Repeat for other end of the handle, attaching it 2″ away from the opposite side seam on the same side of the bag.

Repeat on opposite side of the bag for the other handle.

Sew your bag handles in place, about 1/8″ from the bag edge. {I used a ‘triple stitch’ for extra strength.}

Now we’re going to make the bag lining. Cut two 13.25″ x 13.25″ squares, and one 13.25″ x 3″ rectangle from lining fabric 1. These will be the lining itself.

Cut two 13.25″ x 13″ pieces from lining fabric 2. These will be the pockets.

Cut two 13.25″ x 6.5″ rectangles from your stiff interfacing. This will be the interfacing for the pockets.

Now let’s make some pockets! Fold your two lining fabric 2 pieces in half, with the folded edge being the side which measures 13.25″. Iron along this fold line. Place the stiff interfacing rectangle inside these pieces and pin along the top {folded} edge.

Sew along the folded edge of your pockets, about 1/8″ from the edge.

Now place one pocket piece on top of the right side of one of the lining fabric 1 squares. Align the raw edges at the bottom, and pin in place. Repeat for the other pocket and lining square.

POCKET ONE:
With your water erasable pen, draw lines down the width of the pocket 1.75″ from either raw edge, and then one down the middle. Sew along these lines.

POCKET TWO:
Again, with your water erasable pen, draw lines down the width of the pocket 1.75″ from either raw edge. {No line down the middle this time.} Sew along these lines.

Erase your lines on both pockets with a wet rag.

OPTIONAL:

On either side of sewn lines which are 1.75″ from either edge {on both pockets} a very small narrow pocket will be created when you sew your bag together. You could use this for pens. If you would rather not have these pockets, sew the top of them shut. I sewed all of mine shut by sewing the top of this 1.75″ gap shut.

Mark a centre point near the top of pocket 2. Attach your snap fastener. The instructions for how to do this should be included if you purchased these in a packet. They are either sewn in or attached with a tool. {I actually have a Snap Press Machine.}

Now we’re going to put all our lining pieces together. First take a look at your two lining pieces with the pockets attached. You may need to trim the bottoms of these as there may be a slight overlap of stiff interfacing. I had to trim one of the bags I’m making but not the other. After you’ve checked that, locate the 13.25″ x 3″ rectangle of lining fabric 1 {cut in step 10}. Sew this to the bottom of each of your other lining pieces.

Fold your bag piece in half, right sides facing, with the base at the folded edge. Line up the tops and bottoms of your pockets. Sew up each side.

Now we’re going to box the corners just like we did while making the outside of the bag. Once you’ve made the triangle at the corner, use the seam lines from when you attached the base as your guide for your horizontal stitching line. You’ll notice that this line forms a base for a rectangle in the stitching. Have a look at the photo for a better understanding. You want to start and stop sewing at the vertical lines of this “rectangle”. Trim the excess from the corners.

With the lining still inside out {meaning the wrong sides are facing out}, place the bag INSIDE the lining. Line up the top edges, and pin all the way around, making particularly sure the side seams are lined up, and your handles are tucked in.

Sew around the top of your bag. {I used a ‘triple stitch’ for extra strength.}

Unpick a small section of the bag lining at the bottom.

Gently pull your bag through the section you just unpicked in the lining…

…And keep pulling until your bag is through and your lining is turned right way out.

Hand stitch the opening in the lining closed with a ladder stitch. Put your lining inside your bag, pushing the corners into the corners.

Last step! Sew around the top of your bag, about 1/8″ from the edge. Normally you would not have the lining showing over the top as I do on my bag, but I wanted my bag to have a bit of a fluffy trim at the top. {*I like fluffy things.}