Great Big Tote – Sewing to Sell Project #3

This is the third project in a series using the patterns in Virginia Lindsay’s book, “Sewing to Sell.” It has great crafty sewing projects and inspiration for taking your sewing creativity to the next level.

Project #3 Great Big Tote

I have always wanted to sew a giant tote for hauling all my “mom” gear during day trips with the kiddos. I’ve sewn many different types of bags, but they’ve never been big enough or sturdy enough to really be useful.

Virginia uses a painter’s drop cloth for the base and handles of the tote. It’s a great idea because of the price and size for making multiples. But since I only made one, I bought some cotton duck for my version. As with the other patterns in this book, Virginia has a diagram of multiple pieces laid out to use the whole width of the fabric. You can use her diagrams to get exactly the amount of fabric you need without any waste.

I paired the duck with one of my Anna Bond canvas fabrics and a coordinating scrap of quilting fabric. You know how fabric combinations are magically clashing and coordinating at the same time with all their wild patterns lately? This is my attempt with that idea – maybe not 100% successful, but still fun.  🙂

Another fun detail on this tote are the boxed corners on the outside. A hint for making these is to make sure to clip the seam allowance at the bottom corners of the outside fabric and the lining before turning the tote right side out. This helps with the tricky sewing of the triangle flaps onto the side of the bag, especially at the top corner.

I think this tote is fantastic and completely useful – strong enough for even a stack of library books. I hope you enjoy this sewing series using “Sewing to Sell” by Virginia Lindsay – next up, Slouch Bag, project #4!