Tote Bag!

Project 6: Tote Bag Cut three pieces: 1 rectangle 15 inches wide, 34 inches long, two straps, 4 inches wide by 24 inches. Iron your pieces. Take the rectangle with the wrong side facing up. Fold up the top short edge by .5 inch, iron. Fold it over another .5 inch and iron. Repeat for the bottom short edge. Take your straps. Fold them in half long-wise and iron. Take the long edges and fold them in to meet the middle fold. Iron. Fold the whole strap along the middle fold, iron. Repeat with the second strap. Take the end of the strap, open it up and fold up the end by 1/4 and iron. Repeat for the other end and on the second strap. You should now have a strap with no rough edges showing. Take your rectangle. Top stitch along the edge of the top fold. Repeat for the bottom fold. Take your straps. Starting at the short end, top stitch all the way around the strap including the folded edge. With wrong side facing up, place your rectangle down. Pin your straps on the rectangle. Measure 4 inches from the left edge. Place one end of your strap with 1 inch over-lapping the edge of the bag. Place the other end of the strap 4 inches from the right edge. Pin the strap making sure you haven’t twisted your strap. Repeat with the second strap on the bottom end. With the right sides facing, fold the rectangle in half, lining up the top edges with the straps. Sew the sides up with 1/4 inch seam allowance. Finish your edges with a zig-zag stitch. Turn right side out, using a turning tool to get your corners pointy. Lesson 4 Skills: Sewing inside out, seam allowance, finishing edges, pinning.