Tote Bags

Materials:

purchased pattern if desired or make your own pattern using templates shown here
1-3/8 yards of canvas fabric, cut two inches wider than you want the finished bag to be
one yard or so of a coordinating print
100/16 HJ needle
Conso heavy duty thread
heavy duty zipper
one yard of nylon webbing

1. Start by cutting two strips of the coordinating fabric the same width as the canvas. These will be the decorative strips that go across the bag.
2. Once the decorative pieces are cut, place them right side down and fold over all edges about a 1/2 inch. Press (figure A). This will help clean up the edges before you apply the pieces to the canvas.
3. If you have a pattern, cut out the canvas as directed. Otherwise, you can use the template shown here as a guide to make your own pattern (figure B). If you make your own pattern, you can customize the size of the bag by altering the size of the template then increasing or decreasing the amount of fabric as needed.
4. To make a pattern using the fabric measurements provided here, cut a rectangle that is approximately 24 inches long and two inches wider than you'd like the finished bag to be.
5. Once you have the rectangle pattern, jog out the bottom of the pattern by cutting away one-fourth of the width from each side (figure B).
6. Fold the canvas fabric in half, and position the pattern on the fabric so that the bottom (with cutaway sides) is positioned on the fold. Lightly press canvas along the fold.