Strawberry bag

Making a tote bag is surprisingly easy. I made this strawberry tote bag using this excellent tutorial by Super Eggplant:

I started with a set of kitchen curtains that I found at the thrift store for $2.00, but you could use approximately 1/2 yard of 100% cotton fabric--one piece for the inside of the bag and one piece for the outside. I used 2 yards of 1-inch wide ribbon for the straps:

I cut my pieces into 14-1/2 X 14-1/2 inch squares. Since I wanted my bag to be durable and able to carry books and such, I ironed fusible interfacing to the back of each square (I used DecorBond which is available at Walmart for $2.50 per yard).

You can make your bag with any fabric (generally a 100% cotton, non-stretchy fabric is best) and use any ribbon or fabric for the straps. This would be an excellent way to make swim-lesson totes for your children, a library book-bag for yourself and it would also be a great way to teach your kids to sew!

To access the tutorial, click here.

Enjoy!