Sher’s Creative Space (Sher Hastings Designs) ©SherHastingsDesigns
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Introduction: There has been a lot of "going green" happening at my house these days. One of the things we are doing is refusing to use plastic bags. I keep reusable totes in all our cars so they are ready when shopping. I also came up with this simple and super quick to make pattern for this tote bag. It folds up easily, and you can slip into the little matching 6 1/2 inch sleeve. When they fold up this small, you can stash them all over! Makes great gifts too. The tote bag measures 17 x 17 inches when open. Supplies: 5/8 yard of lightweight 100% cotton fabric (44/45") Novelty fabrics or quilters cottons are perfect weights Thread to match fabric Cutting and measuring tools Marking pens Pins, needles Sewing machine Iron Important tips & general instructions: **Read tips and instructions thoroughly before beginning. **Iron your fabrics before starting. I like to pre-wash my fabrics when making tote bags but some people prefer not to. It’s completely up to you. Instructions: 1. Using the illustration for the fabric layout below, cut out the fabric as follows: (1) 4x44" strips (then cut in half so you will have (2) 4x22" strips (2) 18x18" pieces (1) 5x17" piece
5x17
18x18
18x18
selvedge
selvedge
5/8 yard of fabric laid out flat
4x44 which will then be cut into two pieces 4x22 Illustration for fabric cutting ©SherHastingsDesigns
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2. Place the two 18 inch squares together with right sides together. If you are using directional fabric, be sure the design of the fabric is going in the proper direction. You'd hate for your design to be upside down or sideways on one or both sides. At the bottom corners, cut out a 2 inch square at each corner. (Image 2) This is so that you can box the corners later. Stitch down both sides and across the bottom edge using a 1/2" seam allowance. Just do the straight edges, leave the cut out corners un-stitched. Press the three seams open.
3. Box your bottom corners by lining up the two raw edges (at the cut outs) and stitching them closed, using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. To make the edge a little stronger add another row of stitching next to this one. Just make sure the second row of stitching is on the side of the seam allowance. (Image 3,4)
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4. Turn the bag right side out. Turn the upper edge 1 1/4 inch toward the inside of the bag and press. Turn that raw edge 1/4 inch toward the inside and press. You are making a 1 inch hem at the upper edge. Stitch close to that folded edge, then top-stitch about 1/8 inch away from the upper edge of the bag. (Image 5,6)
5. Take the two 4x22 inch strips and turn the short ends 1/4 inch to the wrong side and iron. Next fold them in half lengthwise and press. Take the long, raw edges and fold them toward the inside so that they meet at the center and press. These will be your 1 inch wide handles. Stitch close to the folded edges along the length on both sides beginning with the side where the two folded edges meet. (Image 7,8)
6. Place your bag on the table and pin the handles 4 inches from each seam, keeping the ends of the handles on that folded hem. Stitch the handles to the bag, keeping your stitches on that hemmed area where the fabric will be stronger. I stitched a square with an "x" in the center to make it nice and secure. Once both of your handles are stitched to the bag, set it to the side and make your sleeve. (Image 9,10)
©SherHastingsDesigns
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7. Take the remaining 5x17 inch fabric and fold it in half with right sides together, meeting at the short edges. Stitch up each long edge ½ inch seam allowance. We are going to box the bottom corners a little differently than we did on the bag. Since this is a small piece, there is an easier way to do it. Just take the corners and pinch them so that the side seam meets up with the bottom fold. Mark a straight line at an angle about an inch long. Stitch on that line, then cut away the corners. Turn right side out. (Image 11, 12, 13)
8. Turn the unfinished upper edge 3/4 inch to the inside, then another 3/4 inch. This will make the hem along the upper edge of your sleeve. Stitch close to the folded edge at the inside of the sleeve, then top-titch 1/8 inch from the upper edge of the sleeve. (Image 14)
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Since I used directional fabric for my cat bag, I didn't want my cats to be upside down on the other side of the sleeve, so I cut the fabric in half and stitched at the bottom using a small 1/4 inch seam allowance. This small change in finished size made absolutely no difference for the bag fitting in the sleeve. To fold the bag so that it fits nicely in the sleeve, first fold the bottom edge up so that the bag lays nice and flat. Fold the left side over so the fold is at the 1/3 point of the bag. Now fold the right side over so the outer edge meets the fold at the other side. Bring the handles down and flatten. Starting at the upper edge, fold the bag down so that it fits nicely in the sleeve you just made for it.
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Thank you for choosing a pattern from Sher’s Creative Space All my patterns are brought to you in good faith and I did my best to make them as easy to understand as I could. If you feel that you see an error or a missing part of the instructions, please contact me right away and I will attend to this issue. I can’t be held responsible for errors due to mis-measuring or by the creator using different style techniques. I consider my patterns “beginner to intermediate” so general knowledge and experience of sewing and quilting is helpful to create my items. All patterns, appliques, images, photos, and illustrations were created and/or designed by me. I own all rights to this pattern and the images with it. You may use this pattern to create items for your personal use and to sell from your website, online shops, and craft shows. You can not claim the finished item as your design or redistribute the pattern or its images in any way.
©SherHastingsDesigns
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