Do your weekend shopping in style with this cute rick-rack trimmed tote bag! Just grab one charm pack, some rick-rack trim and a couple of beautiful Bella Solids and I bet you can make this tote in just one afternoon. Easy peasy!
(1) Charm Pack – I used the lovely Beach House collection by Blackbird Designs
(1) Yard – Cream Solid (Bella Solid in “natural”)
(1/2) Yard – Tan Solid (or Print) for Lining of Bag (Bella Solid in “tan”)
(1) Yard – 1″ Cotton Rick Rack (Elan Rick Rack in “Peach” which is a golden tan color)
Cutting the fabrics and rick-rack:
From the cream solid, cut: 32 – 5” squares
From the lining fabric, cut: 2 – 12 1/2” x 15 1/2” rectangles
From the rick-rack, cut: 2 – 16 1/2” strips and 1 – 13 1/2” strip
Make the Half-square-triangle Units
Mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of a 5” cream square. Layer the marked cream square and a 5” cream square, right sides together.
Sew a line 1/4” from each side of the line.
Cut along the marked line to make a total of two half-square-triangle units. Press each unit towards the dark.
Trim the half-square triangle units to 3 1/2” square. Repeat to make a total of sixty-four half-square-triangle units – forty for the bag panels and twenty-four for the handles.
Assemble the Pieced Bag Panels: Layout twenty half-square-triangle units into five rows of four units. Sew the units in each row together and then join the rows together to complete a pieced bag panel. Repeat this process to make a total of two pieced bag panels.
Add the Rick Rack: Pin the three cut rick-rack strips to the left, right and bottom edges of one pieced bag panel, leaving half the width of the rick-rack showing along the edges. Baste the rick-rack in place.
Assemble the Outside of the Tote Bag: Right sides together, sew the two bag panels together along three edges, leaving the top short edge open. Clip the corners being careful not to cut the seams and turn inside out.
Make the Handles
Sew together twelve of the remaining half-square-triangle units together, matching the cream edges together to make a candy-cane stripe. Fold this strip in half, right sides together, and sew along the edge.
Turn the strip right-side-out and press the seam towards the back. Top stitch along each long edge to finish a handle. Repeat to make a total of two handles.
Make the Button Loop: Choose an uncut charm square from the remainder of the charm pack squares and cut a 2” x 5” rectangle. Fold the rectangle in half and press. Fold the two outside edges to meet the pressed line and press again. Fold this unit in half, press and topstitch along the long edge to finish the button loop. (See the next step
Add the button loop and handles
On the open edge, find the center of one bag panel. On the right side of one pieced bag panel, pin and baste the two open ends of the button loop to the center. On the right side of the pieced bag panel, pin and baste the two ends of the handles to the first seam from the left and right of the bag panel. Repeat with the second handle to the opposite finished bag panel.
Make the Bag Lining
To make the lining of the tote bag, sew together the two 12 1/2” x 15 1/2” rectangles together along three edges, leaving one short edge open.
Assemble the Bag
Right sides together, insert the pieced bag panels – with button loop and handles – into the bag lining. Pin along the two open edges and sew the edges together, leaving a 2” opening for turning the bag.
Turn the bag inside out, using the 2″ hole left in the seam along the top of the bag. Once you have done this, flip the lining to the inside of the bag and press. Top stitch along the top edge of the bag to finish
1 – 12″ x 15″ Tote Bag
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