Easy DIY Tote Bag Pattern

You will fall in love with this DIY tote bag pattern. Not only is it cute, but also it’s also simple and durable, perfect for everything from books to groceries! With only a yard of fabric and an hour of your time, you can make your own tote bag that you’ll be proud to carry wherever you go.

What material do you use for a tote bag?

When making a tote bag, you’ll want a fabric that is sturdy enough to hold its shape. You can do this one of two ways. The simplest way is to use a durable fabric such as canvas, denim, leather, or twill. (I used a cotton canvas for my bag.)

Alternatively, you can reinforce your fabric with fusible or sew-on interfacing. depending on the type of fabric, you could choose to use either a light-weight or heavier interfacing. Since this pattern doesn’t have a lining for the tote bag, I wouldn’t recommend using interfacing. Without fabric on the inside to protect it, the interfacing would either rip or fall apart if you actually used your bag.

Materials you will need

To make this DIY tote bag, you will need:

• 1 yard of fabric for the bag
• 1 1/2 yards of 1 1/4″ wide webbing to use for the straps
• Matching thread
• Snap or button to close the outside pocket

Tools you will need

For this project, you will need:

• Sewing machine
• Rotary cutter with mat
• Scissors
• Pins
• Iron and ironing board
• Needle
• Seam ripper (hopefully you won’t need to use this, but it’s always nice to have on hand. 🙂 )

How to Make a DIY Tote Bag:

Use 1/4″ seam allowances for this project.

Cutting out your bag:

Cut 2 rectangles 15″ x 19″ out of your fabric, using a rotary cutter if you have it. After this, measure 2″ from the bottom of the rectangle on each side and pin the fabric there. Then, measure 2″ in from the edges of the rectangle at the bottom and use pins to mark. Using these pins for guidance, cut out a 2″ x 2″ square from the bottom of each rectangle. When you finish, the rectangles should look like this:

These will be the body of your bag. Next cut out 2 rectangles 11″ x 19″ for the outside pocket. Cut the webbing in half so that you have 2 strips, each 27″ long.

Sewing your bag:

With right sides together, pin the pocket pieces together along one of the 19″ sides and sew. Turn this inside out, and iron it flat. Then topstitch across the top of pocket where you sewed the pieces together.

Place one of the 15″ x 19″ rectangles right-side up on your workspace. Then, place the pocket piece on top of it with the bottom edges matching up. Finally, place the other 15″ x 19″ rectangle on top with the right-side facing down. Pin around the bottom edge and the two sides.

Sew along each side, stopping at the bottom square that you cut out of the fabric. Then, sew along the bottom of the bag as well. After this, use an overcasting stitch to finish the raw edges.

Cut the edges of the pocket piece to match with the edges of the other bag.

Put your fingers through one of the open squares in the bottom of the bag, and then flatten it so that the seams are matching. It should look like this:

Pin the fabric so it stays and sew across this. Next, use an overcasting stitch to finish the raw edges and then repeat for the other side.

At the top of the bag, fold over 1/2″ of fabric to the wrong side of the bag around the edges and press with an iron. Next, fold over another 1″ of fabric and press with an iron.

Measure in 4″ from the side seams on each side of the bag (you should have 4 pins total). Take one end of one of your pieces of webbing and stick it underneath the hem at the pin and secure it with another pin. Take the other end of the webbing and insert it at under the pin on the other side. It should look like this:

Repeat for the other side. Then, use a 1/4″ seam allowance to hem the top of the bag. Once you’ve finished this, fold the webbing up so that the handles are facing up and pin in place.

Sew another hem using a 1/2″ seam allowance from the top of the first seam. You’ll have two lines of stitching with 1/2″ between them.

Turn your bag inside out, and you’re done!

Optional step: You can add a snap to the outside pocket to keep items from falling out. On the inside of the pocket, measure down 1/4″ in the center of the bag and sew one side of the snap to it by hand. On the bag, sew the other piece of the snap so that the pocket will close evenly.

Ideas to personalize your tote bag

I love that you can easily adjust this pattern to fit your needs.

• If you like, you can alter the dimensions of your rectangles to change the size of your purse.
• If you have a trim that you like, you could sew it around the top edge of your purse and along the pocket.
• You could also add a pocket to the other side of the bag. Just cut out two more rectangles that are 11″ x 19″.
• You could sew a button over the snap on the pocket for an extra decoration.
• If you have extra fabric, you could use it to cover the webbing of the straps. Simply cut out two rectangles of fabric that are 2″ wide and as long as your straps. Fold the rectangles in half lengthwise, sew around two of the edges, and turn it inside out. Cut off the edge of the fabric where you sewed it at the top. Next use a safety pin to thread one of the pieces of webbing through the fabric. Iron it flat and sew in place according to the directions.

Did you enjoy this DIY Tote Bag project?

If so, check out other simple sewing ideas at the Craft Corner!