Travel Accessories: Plenty of Pockets Tote

10 Free Tote Bag Patterns and Tutorials Totes make great handmade gifts. Here is a Tuesday Ten that shows a round-up of lovely totes. If you love to sew you might also like these free sewing tutorials right here on Skip to my Lou! Every tote needs a matching pouch. Pleated Zippered Pouch Lined Zippered Pouch 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Pleated tote (beach bag) tutorial Before we went away, I decided that a new bag for the beach was a must – something big and roomy to hold books, magazines, sunscreen, hats, and all that other good stuff. So I made this big pleated tote, and it worked perfectly. This is a picture of it in action: And here’s a little tutorial in case you want to make one for yourself – doesn’t have to be for the beach either, it could come in handy for schlepping all kinds of things around town. Here’s what you need: two pieces of your main fabric cut in shape A four pieces of the top shape (B) in a contrasting fabric two pieces of a lining fabric in shape C one piece of the long rectangle for the strap in the contrasting fabric two pieces of the top shapes (B) and one of the strap in a medium weight interfacing 1) Along the longest (22″) edge of the main fabric pieces, mark along the top at the following intervals: 3″ – 4″ – 6″ – 7″ – 9″ – 10″ – 12″ – 13″ – 15″ – 16″ – 18″ – 19″ 13) And voila, this is what it should look like.

renske’s minimalist tote bag A talented seamstress with a mission, Renske Solkesz decided to create her own wardrobe after finding herself frustrated with high fashion prices. When we saw her chic and modern wardrobe creations, we asked if she’d be willing to create and share a fun accessory tutorial with us. I’m super excited about what she’s come up with: an amazing self-closing utilitarian tote! I’m a huge fan of the graphic contrast and the leather and rivet details. CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump! When I designed this bag, I wanted to integrate the grip/straps in a more functional way with the rest of the bag. A friend of mine called it a “yin yang bag,” which is pretty accurate, I think. Materials Tools HammerSewing machineScissorsPinsChalkMeasuring tapeIronPattern template Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Finished!

Neck tie School Bag Got lots of neck ties lying around? Use them to make this unique bag! What you need Okay, you'll need a bunch of ties. Instructions Let’s start with the gusset/handle: you’ll need four ties: (Figure 1) Lay them out like this. Join each pair side by side with a super-wide triple zigzag stitch. (Figure 2) Just feed the ties through side by side, no “right sides together” or pinning or anything. Stitch each pair together side by side halfway up. (Figure3 ) Now you have have two pairs of ties sewn together. Just do another triple zigzag over the center of each tie following the center seam on the wrong side. (Figure 4) Now place the fat ends of the ties right sides together and stitch across with a regular straight stitch. Your gusset/strap piece is now complete! Now we are going to make the pattern for the front and back of the bag. (Figure 5) Now mark a dot at the inside points between the ties. Remove the ties and connect the dots. (Figure 6) Cut this pattern out. (Figure 7) Unfold paper – Voila!

MADE: TUTORIAL: the Circle Skirt I used to think that a gathered skirt was the easiest skirt to sew. But I may have changed my tune. A circle skirt is possibly even easier!….especially if you leave the elastic exposed. If you’ve ever made a poodle skirt before, it’s the same concept. Once you’ve created your pattern, you can whip up 4 skirts in an hour! Okay, let’s get started. What you need (for a little girl’s skirt): * about 1 yard of fabric* appx 3/4 yard of 2-inch wide elastic FABRICS to use:* Rayon* Polyester Charmuese* Simple Cotton* Thin Corduroy* Lightweight WoolMany fabrics will work for this project. ELASTIC:Wide elastic from fabric stores typically comes 2 inches or 3 inches wide; white or black in color. If you’d like to add a colorful twist to your skirt, check out our easy Tutorial for Dyeing Elastic HERE. Measure around your waist. PATTERN:This requires a bit of geometry but don’t worry, we’ll break it down for you. You need to figure out the radius so you can easily draw a circle. draw another 1/4 circle:

Fully lined zippered box pouch - pattern and tutorial - it's a Pretty Modern life I love the look of a zippered box pouch...so incredibly cute. I found many tutorials on the internet, but was disappointed after making pouches following these tutorials to find that they were not fully lined; looks so much nicer when you open your pouch and there are no seams. It took me a long time to figure it out and I thought and thought and thought...then I got it♥ I don't want to keep this knowledge to myself, so here it is. I'd like to thank Jane at Projects by Jane (the only other tutorial like this that I was able to find on the internet - wish I'd found it sooner). Her photos may help you out too if mine fail to communicate properly. If you like what you see and this tutorial was helpful, please help me by making a small donation to my site (click mauve button on top right on homepage). ♥♥♥Thanks so much! The finished pouch is 3 high x 4 wide x 7 long (inches) Here's what you need: 1 twelve inch zipper 2 10x7 inch panels for the lining (my lining fabric is the green one) STEP 1.

make your own 6-pocket mini pocketbook and stay organized — insatiable need I’m sure that many of you, like me, are on an eternal quest for organization. I know I’m not alone in finding the Container Store’s promise of a perfect, organized life utterly seductive. But here’s the thing…I don’t really like purging, I love my stuff. Therefore I also love pretty things in which to stash my stuff, so I get to enjoy my fantasy of being organized and contained. This tutorial is about helping you stay organized, in a quick, easy, and super-cute way. It is a distilled version of the Holland Cox pocketbook, and is a breeze to make. the pattern …is only four rectangles. the body is 7.25″ tall.the large pocket is 5.5″ tallthe medium pocket is 4.25″ tallthe small pocket is 3″ tall materials needed I chose a vintage cotton canvas for the body in a bright retro floral, and quilting weight cotton in a matching color for the interior. You’ll also need a button and a bit of elastic for the closure, and a bit of ribbon for the pen. start with the pockets 1. 2. the closure 3. 4. 6.

tiny happy: shoulder bag tutorial Here's a rough pattern and guide for making a shoulder bag like one of these, as promised. These are really easy to make, and I always have so much fun choosing fabrics and buttons for them. I have to warn you however that i'm not very good at explaining things in words, so I hope you can understand my general meaning in these directions! Please email me if you need further instruction, and I'll be happy to help! I couldn't work out how to do a PDF file so this is a very basic and d-i-y version of a pattern! Once you've drawn and cut out your pattern, cut two from your chosen bag fabric, and two from your lining fabric. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 9. 10. p.s. please email me a picture if you try this out because I'd love to see it!