Totes Adorbs Summer Bag

We are so excited to be introducing some new Creative Team Members to you this month! The fun part is... a few of them are our friends that we just love to death! Starting with our polka dot loving friend Kristy aka DavesWife...

Over on her blog The Diary of Dave's Wife she shares fun projects and recipes (and a few pictures of her adorable boys) that will just put a smile on your face. We are so excited to have a little piece of her here!!

____________________________________________

Every Girl needs a big Summer Tote Bag. When I am trying to fly out the door with my kids to the pool, the park, or a playdate, or just about anywhere, having a big bag to toss towels, sunscreen, sunglasses, toys, and snacks in is essential! After searching high and low at some of my favorite stores, I just didn't find anything that was big enough (or cute enough) for me to carry. So I sat down to my trusty sewing machine and made my own!

Now, I am no professional seamstress, but I can sew a straight line and if you can too, than this bag is just the thing for you! It took me about an hour from start to finish to put this fully lined bag together!

To make this bag, pick out some thick canvas like material. (Outdoor fabric works great for this!) This stiffer the fabric the better your bag will stand up! I found this graphic stripe at Ikea and used a solid white canvas that I had in my fabric stash to make my lining.

You will need about 3/4 yard of each fabric.

Start with you fabric folded in half and cut your fabric into 22" Squares.

You should end up with (2) 22" squares of your outer fabric and (2) 22" squares of your liner fabric.

With your fabric still laid together, cut a 4" square out of the bottom left corner and bottom right corner just like pictured below:

Make sure you keep the pattern of your fabric in mind! I wanted my stripes to run horizontal. Those 4" squares are going to create the bottom of your tote.

Next, with the right sides of your outer fabric together, sew up the sides and the bottom with a 1/4" seam allowance:

Do the same thing with your lining fabric, except on the bottom seam leave about a 6" opening.

(This will allow you to turn it right side out once we get it sewn together.)

Next we are going to sew up the bottom. Start by pinching the top of those bottom corners and lifting up the top piece of fabric so that your bottom seam and side seams match up like pictured below. Then pin the open end and sew together with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Repeat this same step with your lining fabric. (You will still have a 6" opening in the bottom of your lining). And turn the lining right side out.

With the outside of your tote (stripe fabric) still inside out, slide the lining (white fabric) inside of the stripe fabric. By doing this, the right side of both pieces should be facing each other. And will look like this:

From here, make sure your side seams of your inner and outer fabric are lined up and pin them in place :

Next, sew a 1/4" inch seam all around the entire opening (top of the bag) This will adhere the lining to the outer fabric.

Once complete your bag should be one piece. Now, reach your hand inside the bag clear down to the bottom and find that 6" opening we left. You should be able to pull your outer fabric up through that hole and turn the entire bag right side out.

Here you will want to press out your bag, making your edges and seams nice and crisp. Then simply sew that 6" hole in the lining shut, and tuck your lining inside your bag!

For the straps, I chose some 1 1/4" thick webbing/belting that I found at JoAnn's. I got 1 1/2 yards and cut it in half making (2) 26" straps. I pinned it to the inside of the bag and sewed them on!