How to Make An Amazing Tote Bag for Yourself

Tote Bags have become a trendy accessory to own in recent years. They have become a symbol of sustainable fashion. With a tote bag in hand, you can have the best of both worlds by appearing stylish while making an eco-friendly lifestyle choice. Many fashion brands have stopped using plastic bags and use their own branded tote bags to package their products. Printed tote bags give more brand visibility to customers of these fashion brands. The durable material of tote bags means that you can carry a diverse range of contents from groceries, to books.

Moreover, printed tote bags have also become a really trendy item to sell online. According to Data Bridge Market Research the tote bags market is expected to grow at 4.60% annually and reach a value of $3.60 billion in 2030. In these challenging economic times this simple to make product can easily become a source of a side income. Once you are established you can scale up your business and become a tote bags distributor.

You can make a tote bag as a DIY project quite easily. Coming up with attractive designs can be a bit difficult but don’t worry as in this blog we will not only teach you how to make a tote bag, but will also provide you with cool design ideas that are trending this year.

Sustainable Materials for a DIY Tote Bag

Cotton Canvas

Tote bags made from cotton canvas are the most common of all types of tote bags. They are environmentally friendly as well as soft to touch. This makes it comfortable to hang the bag on your shoulder for the whole day. Moreover, this material is easily washable.

Jute

Jute bags are not only durable but also 100% natural and eco-friendly. The brownish-gold color of jute fiber gives tote bags made with this material a stylish look. The stiffness of jute material also means that your tote bag has a crisp feel to it and retains its shape.

Linen

Linen material is not as durable as cotton but is quite light and breathable. Linen bags are resistant to moisture and do not encourage bacterial growth so you can carry food and vegetables in it without any problem.

How to Make a Tote Bag

Making a tote bag is not rocket science. You just need to know basic sewing techniques and you will be good to go. Let your creativity flow when it comes to the design and shape of the bag. You can sew pockets on the outside for more storage room if you want.

Required Materials

Sewing Machine: You don’t need a specific model and any ordinary sewing machine is suitable

Canvas or any other fabric that we mentioned before.

Webbing, for making the handles. It should be sufficient to go up on both sides of tote bag surface. You can calculate the amount of webbing you need by multiplying the bag height by 4 and adding 2-4ft extra as per the height of handles. The webbing will go round the bottom of the bag to give support at the bottom and prevent the canvas from tearing in case of heavy weight.

Step 1: Deciding the Bag Dimensions

You need to be clear about the size of your tote bag. It is totally up to you to decide the size. Once you have decided you will know how much material to use. Work out the dimensions and ask yourself how much length, width and height should be.

Step2 Cutting the Fabric

Once you have an idea about the bag size, you have to cut the cloth. The bag would be created by folding a big piece into half and stitching both the sides and afterwards the bottom. For the seams leave ½ inch for each side edge and 2inches for the top-edge to make a 1 inch fold under the hem.

Assuming we are making a bag of 12inch tall, 12 inch wide and 10 inch deep; than the fabric required for both faces is 2x(13inch tall side + 2 Hem stitch allowance) =30inch then add 10 inches for the bottom of the tote bag.

Tip: You have the choice to use a continuous piece of material or sew two pieces together and have a seam in the middle of the bag bottom.

When it comes to fabric width it should be broad enough to cover the the bag width and the depth of he sides, so the 12inch width +1/2 inch allowance for seam +10 inch depth + ½ inch seam allowance=23 inch wide.

So a cloth piece of 40inch by 23inch is needed to construct the bag

Tip: Cut the fabric length-wise for the bag to hold its shape.

Step3

Fold the fabric in half. Then lay the dimension of the bag in the center, with ½ inch on either side and 2 inch at the top. Proceed further by notching the the bottom corners on each side. This is done by cutting up and in half the depth of the bag which is 5 inches and adding half inch for seams so total 51/2 inches.

Step 4: Hemming the Top Edge

Before sewing the straps make sure to hem the top edge. The method of doing it is as follows

• Fold one inch of each top edge and press with your hand to create a crease

• Fold 1 inch again

• Pin the folded edges with a pin to hold the folds for stitching

• Add stitches on the bottom edge of the hem. Make sure to stitch both sides.

Step 5: Attach the Web Handles

You can experiment with different types of handles and givr your tote bag leather straps or straps of any other fabric. Nylon web strings are commonly used for tote bags so you can go ahead with that

• Begin with the webbing strap that goes past the bottom edge of the bag, so that it wraps along the base of the bag. This is to give additional support for bearing more weight.

• Next run the webbing along the sideface of the bag, and create a loop handle according to your preferred size. And run the web down to the base. Do it for one side only.

• After you have laid out the length for one side put a mark where the length finishes. Just double the total length to match the other side. Once you have finalized the length cut the webbing using a hot knife.

• Once you have cut the webbing you need to place it correctly on the bag before sewing. Lay the web strap for both side faces. Make sure to check that webb handles of both sides are of same length.

• Lastly, run the sewing machine over the webbing to stitch it to the bag.

Step6: Stitching the sides

In order to close the tote bag you need to sew the side seams. Use a zig-zag stitch or trim one side of allowance to 1/8inch after sewing, and then fold the side of ½ inch over to create a seam and then stitch it.

Once oyu are done with stitching fold the fabric inside out so the webbing is on the inside. Finally sew the side seams shut with the notch that was cut earlier

Step 7: Sewing the Bottom

Finally you have come to the last step. Smoosh the bag open. The notches that were cut at the corner will transform into edges.

• Pin the edges together, aligning everything as accurately as you can.

• Stich the edges. Keep in mind to give a leeway of ½ inch for seam

Turn the bag inside out and you will have a fully functional tote bag ready.