Super Simple Tote Bag Tutorial

Here's a little tutorial for a really easy-to-sew shopping bag. Those who have been sewing for a while probably won't even need instructions for this bag, but I hope this will help all sewing beginners.

 

Cut your fabric to size: You'll need two rectangles of the same size, but you can use any size and shape you like; mine are 37 x 41 cm. For the handles, you'll need two more rectangles; mine are 8 x 39 cm. (Of course, you can make the handles narrower, wider, or longer, depending on whether you want to carry the bag by hand or over your shoulder.)

Place the two large rectangles right sides together, pin them, and sew the seams on three sides. Then finish the raw edges of the seams with a zigzag stitch. (It also doesn't hurt to press the seam allowances to one side afterward.) You essentially have a bag now, and if you like, you can leave it as is. If you want to sew a kind of base into the bag, continue as follows:

Fold the bag at one of the corners so that the side seam meets the bottom seam.

Lay the fabric flat and secure it with a pin. Now measure about 2-5 cm (I used 3.5 cm) inwards and mark the spot. Use a ruler and pencil to mark where you need to sew.

Sew along this line, then cut the fabric about 1 cm from the seam and finish the raw edges with a zigzag stitch. Repeat the same process with the second corner. Your bag should now look something like this at the bottom:

Fold the fabric at the top of your bag inwards by about 1 cm all the way around and iron it. Then fold the fabric over again by another 1 cm and iron it again, pin it in place. Sew it, and the bag will have a nice finish at the top.

Now all that's missing are the handles. To make them, fold the smaller fabric rectangles in half, right sides together. Secure everything with pins and then sew.

Now you need to turn the handles right side out. The easiest way to do this is with a safety pin, which you attach to one end. Pull the safety pin inwards and then through the entire handle. This can be quite fiddly and, at least for me, often takes longer than the rest of sewing the bag.

In any case, you should end up with two such "sausages". Now iron them flat, turning the fabric inside out at the openings to prevent fraying. Now you can topstitch the handles all the way around (or at least close the open ends with a seam).

Finally, you just need to sew the handles securely onto the bag, ideally with several crossed seams (so you can carry heavier items).

Ta-da! And now you can go shopping right away!

 This basic bag shape can be easily modified by, for example, varying the length of the handles, sewing the front and back of the bag or just the handles from different fabrics, printing or embroidering the bag, decorating it with an appliqué, combining different fabric scraps to create a patchwork bag, or sprucing up the bag with a closure (button, zipper, etc.), an inner pocket, or a lining.