The Deborah Tote Bag - And how to make it

I made some tote bags for the last show that I did, but my friend Deborah suggested some changes that she would like to see in the next bag and not only that she gave me an early Christmas present - labels so that I can try and spot them out on The Broadway.


Am also featuring this on Wendy's Handmade Monday Blog


Preparation is everything when you are making anything, if you get everything together before you start, it makes your life so much easier, so you will need to gather up the following:

• Fabric for outer and lining
• Webbing (1.5" wide)
• Cutting equipment, shears, scissors, mat etc
• Sewing machine
• Cotton
• Iron and ironing board (your new best friend for any sewing project)

  

Your fabric - both outer and lining - heavy cotton 

works really well



Your cutting kit, including rotary cutters, mat, ruler, 
pinking shears and small scissors



Remove the selvedge and cut the bag to size, for a 
medium bag,  you need a outer and lining measuring 
14"(width)  x 28" (length) and for a larger bag 
16" x 32"



Fold the fabric in half (should measure 14" for the small 
and 16" for the large, with the printed sides together, 
seam both sides with a seam allowance of 5/8"



Press open the seams of your fabric so that it will lay flat,
now remember in school when they told you that knowing
about angles will come in useful - today is that day!

You need to create a right angle (the corner of a square
and get the seam to bisect it at 45' (which should be slap
bang in the middle, just like this picture).  Fold the top of 
the seam down to make a little triangle.



Measuring 5/8" sew across the seam as above.  Do this for
both sides.



Now trim off the triangle with your pinking shears - you
have now made the base of your bag, so that it will sit
properly.



Now repeat these steps with your lining fabric to exactly 

the same dimensions



Cut out a piece of fabric which matches your bag to
make an internal patch pocket, it can be the same fabric
or a contrasting pattern, you will need a piece 8" x  6".

Fold over the top of the fabric 5/8" and seam it.
Now place the pocket with your seam at the top,
4" below the top of your lining and equidistant from the
sides of your bag.  



Stitch around the left, bottom and right hand side 
of the pocket.  Then top stitch another seam 

3" from either of the side seams to make a pocket for

your phone.




Now fold together the lining - making sure that the 
pocket is on the inside.  Sew a 3/4" seam - I know this 
is a bigger seam than the outside fabric but it means 
your lining will fit snugly.




Seam the sides and go to the top of the maths class and 
do the triangle work again - Thank you Miss O'Reardon 
who taught me the joy of angles, so useful in piecing 
patchwork...



I then stitch a label on mine over the side seam
























Your bag is now ready to go!

So there you go, a tote bag, a maths lesson and you are
now ready to shop!