Sew a Simple Tote Bag Perfect for Your Next Market Run

Tools and materials:

• Fabric
• Lining 
• Ribbon/fabric for handle
• Scissors
• Chalk
• Ruler 
• Sewing machine 
• Pins

Prepare the fabric 

To kick off this DIY, cut two 20.5 by 18 and ¾ inch pieces of fabric and two pieces of lining. Place the pieces one on top of the other and fold over. Then on two diagonally opposite corners, cut out two small squares. The top square should be 2 ⅜ inches by 2 ⅜ inches and the bottom one should be 2 by 2 inches. 

Sew the outer fabric 

Next, take the two outer fabric pieces and place them right sides together. 

Then you can sew the sides and bottom of the fabric pieces, leaving ⅜ of an inch of seam allowance. 

Once you have finished sewing, open up the bottom squares of your new bag and pin the fabric in order to close the two holes. 

Then head back to your sewing machine and sew along the bottom of the bag leaving ⅜ of an inch for seam allowance. 

Sew the lining 

Now it’s time to move on to the lining. Once again, sew the two pieces together with ⅜ of an inch for seam allowance. This time, leave a gap on one of the sides. Repeat sewing the bottom of the bag to close the corner squares as well. 

Attach the fabric and lining

Next, turn your outer fabric right side out and leave the lining wrong side out. Place the outer fabric inside the lining.

Once you have matched up the seams of the lining and outer fabric, take a ruler and mark 1 and ⅝ of an inch from the top of the bag on either side of both the top handle holes. 

Then sew from your one marking to the next and sew leaving ⅜ inch of seam allowance. 

Next, mark two small diagonal lines from the bottom of each side of the handle holes. Use scissors to make a small snip along those lines. 

Then fold the small pieces of fabric along the sides of the handle holes so that they are facing outwards. Make sure to clip your folds in place. 

You can then go ahead and sew around the top of the bag leaving ⅜ of an inch for seam allowance. 

Turn right side out 

Finally, you can turn the bag right side out by pulling the outer fabric through the small gap you left in the lining. Don’t forget to sew closed the gap! 

To get the most professional-looking seams, make sure to press them with an iron. 

Create a channel

It is finally time to attach the handles to your gorgeous new bag! Use your ruler and chalk to mark 1 and a ¼ inches from the top of the handle hole on all four sides.

Hop back over to your sewing machine and stitch along the outer fabric from point to point. While you are at your machine, stitch around the top of the bag again.

You will see you have a small gap left to act as the perfect channel for your handle. To create this channel, sew from the bottom of that gap all the way around on both sides of the bag. 

Attach the handle 

Next, take your piece of ribbon or fabric and fold it in half lengthwise. Use your iron to press along the fold. 

Then fold each side of the fabric strip towards the center line and press them down. Then fold the strip over again and press the fold in place. 

With your strip perfectly folded, sew along both sides of the fabric, leaving about 4 fingers on each edge. 

Attach a safety pin to one end of the handle and thread it through the channel you created earlier. 

Once it has been threaded all the way through, open up the two ends of the handle and sew them together.

Go ahead and refold the handle just like you did before. Once it’s been folded, sew along the two sides to secure the folds in place. 

This tote bag is just amazing! What would you use this bag for? Let me know in the comments below!