Make It Monday - Patriotic Tote Bag

Granny D here.  I love, love, love making tote bags and purses.  You'll see some that I made in our eBay store soon.  But I thought it would be fun to show all of the piece parts that go into making one of these totes.  They're really simple, and I can't tell you about the pattern except that it's just ideas I've pulled from here and there and perfected after trial and error.  You know, I'd make one and then decide the straps were too short.  So, I'd adjust.  Then I'd decide it needed more pockets so I'd add those to the next one.  Sometimes I'll sew a piece of ribbon on the inside with a D ring attached so your keys will be available and not get buried in the bottom of the bag.  I use interfacing and batting to make them sturdy and yet soft.

So, here goes.

This first picture is the pieces of the outside of the bag, the pretty stuff everyone sees.  I love patriotic themes and colors, especially for summer and thought this would be fun.  So the front is pieced from a jolly bar (5"X10") pieces and 5" squares.  The back is just solid denim (Remember those curtains I posted about a little while back.  Yeah, it's a curtain but the denim is just heavy enough without being too much.)  The straps are from the same denim and that red dotted piece will be the flap that comes over the top to button the bag closed.  I'll probably use a silver button.

 The second picture is the lining.  It's a nice cotton fabric we found at a really good price.  It's a pretty navy (the pics don't do it justice) that pairs well with the denim and the outside of the bag.  The smaller rectangle near the top and to the right is a small pocket.  The piece to the left is another larger pocket that will run the full width of the bag, sewn in about 3 4" sections.  I think with this one, I'll sew a smaller section in the smaller pocket to hold a pen.  That would be handy.

And here are all the parts together, ready to sew.  You can see that it's really just rectangles of different sizes, doing different jobs to make this patriotic tote.  I've already filled a bobbin and threaded the machine with navy thread.  I can't wait to get started on this one.

What is your favorite thing to sew?  If you haven't tried making a tote like this, do it.  It's not really difficult at all and I like that they are practical and pretty at the same time.