Canvas Tote

Recently, I wanted to make some beach/tote bags for a few friends.  As I often do, I turned to the World Wide Web to find a pattern, or even just a picture/concept to inspire my creativity.  I found this fun idea for a self-closing tote bag here on the blog Design Sponge. Their pattern was better suited to the metric measurements they gave, so I made up my own dimensions by just eyeballing how big I wanted the bag to be. You could modify this pattern to make the bag any size.  First, cut two pieces as shown, one of canvas (or denim or duck cloth or any other semi-stiff fabric) and one of your contrasting fabric that will be on the bottom half of the outside of the bag and the lining. Cut the fabric on the fold in the 32" dimension, that fold will come in handy in future steps.  Press to make a crisp line with a steam iron.  Make sure the two pieces are going the opposite direction, meaning the two fabrics, when laid right side up, should be mirror images of each other.

Now cut a piece that will be the contrast on the bottom of the tote.  With the fabric folded in half, cut it the same width as your bag (in my case, 15") and however high you want it to go up the side of the bag. In my case, I made it 9" on the fold (18" total if you unfolded it.)  Fold a 1" hem under on each raw edge and press with steam iron as shown.

Use the crisp fold the you have ironed in on the center on both the canvas and the contrast, line up the two fabrics and pin in place. Sew a top stitch very close to the edge to attach the contrast to the canvas (see inset.)

Now fold the canvas in half, right sides together and stitch along the two sides.  I used a 1/2" seam. Once sewn, clip the bottom corners at a 45 degree angle. Fold the corners so that the side seam lines up with the bottom fold line creating a triangle and press. In the below photo you can see what the lines from where I pressed look like when unfolded. 

With the side seam lined up with the fold along the bottom of the bag, draw a light pencil line at a 45 degree angle.  I drew mine 4" in from the corner on each side, but you can make yours any size you want.  This seam will create the base, or bottom, of the bag. The bigger the "triangle", the bigger the base of your bag. Using a cutting mat with grid lines makes this job a cinch.

Stitch along your pencil line and then press with a hot steam iron so the two triangles fold under the bottom of the bag. 

Now follow all of the above steps for the lining fabric.  Fold in half, right sides together. Stitch along the side seams with 1/2" seam (or however wide you used in the above steps.) This time though, you will need to leave a 2"-3" opening in one of the side seams so you can turn the bag right side out in a few minutes. Compete the lining by folding the corners in a triangle, press, draw your line so the corner triangles are the same dimensions that you used for the outside of the bag. Stitch and press under towards the bottom of the bag. With the shell/outside of the bag turned RIGHT SIDE OUT and the lining turned INSIDE OUT, slip them together as shown below. I repeat, they should be RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. Line up the raw edges, matching the seams and corners of the flaps, pin and stitch. Again, I used a 1/2" seam.  Before turning right side out, clip the corners of the flaps close to the seam and also cut a little slit in all the corners to ease the fabric and prevent puckering. 

Turn the bag right side out by pulling all the layers through the opening that you left in the side seam of the lining fabric.  Poke the fabric out in the corners and make sure the seam is pulled all the way right side out.  Press with a hot steam iron.  

Now with a top stitch very close to the edge, sew around the entire opening of the bag.  Also, at this point you can sew close to the edge and close the opening in the side seam of the lining where you pulled the bag through to turn it right side out. Picking a thread that is close to the color of your fabric ensures it will not be very visible.  The below photo shows a close up of the top stitching.

Using metal grommets purchased at the fabric store, I followed the manufacturer instructions for fastening them and put one in each flap as shown. The kit comes with a setting tool, a setting base, a top ring for the grommet and a bottom ring for the grommet, all shown below.

Using a rivet tool and rivets with small washers, I riveted the cotton strap to the bag.  I used a 3' piece of cotton strap purchased at the fabric store. Three feet seems to be a good length for the strap, but you can make yours any length you want.  Attach the rivets to one side of the bag and slide the strap through the grommet on the flap of the opposite side of the bag as shown. Repeat for the other flap. Tip from one who learned the hard way: make sure you thread your strap through so that it lays nicely and doesn't have any extra twists in it.  Once it's attached, it cannot be untwisted. 

For a finishing touch, I made two fabric flowers to pin on the front. These are really cute, versatile flowers that you could use for other purses, sweaters, hair, etc. Here's a quick version of the steps for creating those. Cut several circles out of the fabric of your choice.  I used 12 circles for each flower. I saved a ton of time but cutting them using my Cuttlebug die cutter and I used the 2 1/4" circle die.  I flamed the edges of my fabric lightly so it wouldn't fray, but you can leave it raw for a slightly shabbier chic look that will fray a little over time. Note: you cannot flame 100% cotton fabric.  Most fabrics with some polyester or acetate will flame nicely. 

To create the petals, fold 1. in half 2. in quarters 3. in eighths (it will resemble a "W" from the end) 4. sew through all layers where they come to a point and slide all the way down the thread to a knot on the other end.  

Repeat steps 1-4 for all 12 petals.  When you have all 12 circles on the thread, pull snugly and stitch back around to the first petal you sewed on. Knot off the thread and cut any excess.  This will create a little "pouf" of a flower. 

Cut a smaller circle out of felt. Mine was 1" in diameter. Spread the petals on the pouf so as to create a flat bottom for the flower and glue the felt circle onto the bottom.  Attach a pin or other clip of your choice with glue.  

The fun thing about these flowers is they can be removed and the look of the bag can be changed easily. Here's the finished product.

I am going to experiment by adding a zipper pocket inside and making a matching zipper pouch to go inside.  I also thought of ideas like adding a loop inside to attach keys to or putting a divider down the center to create two sides and make it more purse-like.  Have fun with your own experimenting!