BLOG: Sewing Patterns

A Playdate with Made by Joel – and a Giveaway!

December 8, 2011

Free Christmas gift bag pattern with free embroidery pattern.

What do you get when you combine Joel’s Free Holiday Gift Tag printable with my Free Goody Bag pattern?

Red Christmas gift bag embroidered with a white cat wearing reindeer antlers

This! A cute, reusable Christmas gift bag!

The Joel, of course, is Joel Henriques, the amazing dad who blogs at Made by Joel and author of Made to Play – a book showing you how to make tons of great, creative handmade toys.

Want to make a Christmas gift bag yourself? It’s easy!

Get Joel’s free printable gift tags here.

Get the free Goody Bag pattern here.

Transfer the images from the gift tags to the fabric you’re going to use for the bags and stitch them up. I used a simple backstitch – easy peasy. There’s a video here showing how to backstitch.

Now you have bunches of fun reusable Christmas bags!

Have a great day everyone!

Free Stocking Pattern + Free Ornament Pattern = Fun Handmade Goodness

November 18, 2011

Handmade Christmas decorations are so much fun!

I’ve got a free Stockings pattern and a free Ornaments pattern.

They’re fun on their own, but look what you can do when you mix them together!

We’ll start simple. Sew some rickrack onto the ogee and sew the ogee to the stocking. If you want to get fancy you can run a line of stitching from the top point to make it look like it’s hanging. This stocking will take maybe 20 minutes to make and it’s very easy for a beginner.

Here’s another super simple one – and one of my favorites. Stitch the little ornament-sized stocking to the regular sized stocking but leave the top unstitched. Now you have a stocking with a stocking-shaped pocket on it, perfect for holding a little Pez dispenser or a couple of lollipops or a small toy. Cute!

You don’t have to limit yourself to just one felt applique. For this stocking I cut out three tree triangles from the ornament patterns, stitched them to the stocking with a little swaggy zigzag action, then added random buttons. A forest of decorated trees!

You can fit exactly five of the large ornament circles in a stack up the side of the stocking. Lay them in place, stitch one row of stitching up the middle, and you’re done.

Here’s a variation with a more well-defined stripe. Instead of simply stitching up the middle of the dots, I laid a strip of satin ribbon down the center and then stitched over it. Easy peasy!

Forget about felt applique! For this one I didn’t sew down the big dots – I just used one as a pattern. I traced around it (randomly scattered over the stocking) and embroidered the circles with split stitch in white thread. Doesn’t it look minty fresh?

And then there’s this beauty! The big ornament circles make great eyeballs, no? The black strip for the mouth is a bit of satin ribbon, and the teeth are simply felt triangles tucked behind the ribbon before stitching.

And now – my favorite. I used the big circles from the ornament pattern – and Ed Emberley’s Picture Pie: A Cut and Paste Drawing Book. Those three birds are straight out of the book – and it’s filled with other cool pictures too, all made from circles.

I’d love to see what variations you all come up with! Get the free ornaments pattern here and the free stocking pattern here. And then please post your finished projects to the Shiny Happy People group so everyone can admire them. 🙂

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Neato Ornaments – FREE Pattern!

November 17, 2011

Yesterday I gave you a pattern for a good, basic holiday stocking. Today it’s felt ornaments. (Psst! Visit this post to see how to combine my stocking pattern and this ornament pattern for extra fun!)

But now. . . ornaments. The pattern (click here to download) includes some really basic shapes – a tree, a stocking, an ogee, and two circles. The fun comes with what you do with these basics.

Add rickrack. (Boy – do I love rickrack or what?)

Add buttons!

Add fancy vintage trim!

Layer them together with a bit of really simple embroidery!

Don’t feel like you’re tied to traditional colors. I love these yellow and orange ones! (Especially nice too for folks who celebrate solstice.)

Download the free pattern. Gather up your tiny scraps of trim, your odd beads and buttons, your little bits of yarn – and have fun! These shapes are really simple and fun for kids to play with too. Put on some Christmas carols, serve up some cookies, and let them sew the rickrack on with the machine (nice easy straight lines). They – and you – will have a blast. I promise.

Read this post for the best part – combining the stockings and these ornaments in really inventive ways. 🙂

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

Swell Stockings – FREE Pattern!

November 16, 2011

Planning to make any holiday stockings this year? Here’s an easy peasy pattern – and it’s free! Click here to download.

The pattern is for a basic stocking made from felt and takes less than an hour to make. But (of course) you’ll want to fancy it up a bit. 🙂 The one on the pattern cover just has a bunch of inexpensive pearly buttons stitched on it – with the thread tails visible.

See?

Or use just a handful of buttons in a vertical stripe.

Beads are always nice – and beaded trim is super easy. You’ll still finish this one in under an hour.

This one has a strip of feather boa across the top. Ooh la la!

How about some rickrack? A couple of bands across the top are nice. . .

But vertical stripes are good too.

For this one I cut some dots out of felt (traced around a quarter for the size) and then laid them out and embroidered lines between them.

And here’s one with fancier applique (but still easy). You could do the same thing, using one of my appliqued animals quilt block patterns. How about embroidering on a stocking? One of the puppies or kitties would be really cute! So would one of the Rainbow Girls! Or one of the birds from the Bird Sampler! And did you know you can turn any embroidery pattern into an applique pattern?

The finished stocking is just a smidge over 17″ tall – a good basic size.

So there you have it – a bunch of swell stockings! Download the pattern and make one this year.

Get a free felt ornament pattern here.

See some fun ways to use the ornament and stockings together here.

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

Meet Frank & Vlad

September 16, 2011

The Boo Boys - a fun boy Halloween doll pattern from Shiny Happy World

Today I want to show you how I Halloweenified the Karl pattern to make Frank and Vlad. First, I’d like you to meet Frank.

Frank is made with the basic Karl doll pattern – with just a few key changes. First of all, he’s green. 🙂 And he has a couple of scars. I stitched one scar on his face, and another on one of his legs.

You could of course, give him lots and lots of scars. Just be sure to do it before you sew him together. It’s much easier that way.

I used the selvage edge of some dark gray fabric for the edge of his shorts. It just had the perfect fringe and I loved it.

For the sleeves I simply cut the edge all jagged.

You know how to get a really nice, irregular jagged edge? Wad up the fabric you want to cut and then cut into the wad. It works beautifully every time.

So that’s Frank. Except for the addition of the scars, his changes are all about fabric selection.

You met Vlad yesterday, when he was Sad Vlad and I was having a lot of angst about his hairline. Thanks to your many helpful comments here and on Facebook, I realized that it was the baldness at the sides of his head that was bothering me – not the height of his hairline, as I originally thought. I changed out his hair to gave him some sideburns – and Vlad and I are both much happier. Thanks again for all your input!

Except for his fangs and hair, Vlad is made exactly like Karl. I used white fabric for his sleeves and collar, and black fabric for his pants. I used red corduroy for his vest – it gives a sweaterish look without any stretch. Of course, he has a black cape too – but I forgot to put it on for his photo shoot. Drat!

Want to make your own Frank and Vlad? You’ll need the Karl pattern (available here) and this handy-dandy free PDF with the pattern for Vlad’s hair, his fangs, and some scars for Frank.

If you want to make Vlad, replace Karl’s hair with the new Vlad hair. Don’t give him the tufts sticking up on the top. Vampires don’t have cowlicks.

Trace Karl’s face on your doll, then overlay it on the Vlad pattern to add the fangs.

If you want to make Frank, just trace the scars wherever you want to add them. I stitched mine up in DMC #3371.

Have a fabulous weekend! Stitch up something scary!

Best,
Wendi

What are some good commercial patterns for costuming?

September 8, 2011

My Favorite Patterns for Making Costumes

Today I thought I’d share some of my favorite commercial patterns with you all. I drafted the pattern for Jo’s Sally dress – but only because I couldn’t find a commercial pattern with the right silhouette. If there’s an already-made pattern available for use – I use it! Especially for kids patterns because they’re generally easier to fit.

A lot of you wanted to know about Jo’s Hogwarts cloak. That’s Simplicity #5512 with just a few modifications.

The Hogwarts cloaks have sleeves, so I used view C (the red robe) and made the sleeve openings less huge. I added on the hood from view A (the white robe) and lined the whole thing with Gryffindor satin. Adding a lining is really easy and adds so much!

Jo is a big fan of cloaks. My favorite non-sleeved cloak pattern is Butterick BP223.

This pattern is actually no longer available, but I’m sure you can find something similar from other companies, or use the pattern number to search for a copy of it on Etsy, or Amazon.

I used that pattern as is for the cloak in Jo’s Jedi costume here. . .

. . . and I lined it for Jo’s Raven costume here.

I love hoods on cloaks – so dramatic!

For the bodysuit part of the Raven costume I used Butterick 6787.

I love this kind of basic pattern, with lots of possible variations built right in: skirt attached or separate, sleeve hems straight or pointed, collar or scoop neck, plain body or fancy piecing. This one shows nine possible combinations, but of course there are more possibilities than that with a little additional mixing and matching of the basic pieces.

I don’t have any good photos of things I’ve made, but McCall’s 4103 is another great basic pattern. Scrubs costumes and martial arts uniforms are both good basic silhouettes that can be used for lots of things – and this pattern includes both! The pants are easy elastic waist pants that could be used for ANY costume – make them up in silver fabric for a knight, in burlap for a scarecrow. . . you get the idea. Lengthen the martial arts top, use a contrasting color for the neck band – and you have a Samurai Jack costume.

That’s a teeny-tiny Jo as Samurai Jack next to her Dad as Aku, from Dragon*Con two years ago.

Finally – shoes. Boot covers are great – but sometimes you just want to make shoes from scratch. Butterick 5233 is a great pattern – though it runs WAY SMALL so check your measurements!

Jo used a modified version of the tall moccasins to make the boots for her Pokemon Trainer costume last year.

It was REALLY important to her that her boots be the exact same color as her skirt – and the symbol on her hat. She crocheted that scarf too!

So that’s it – some of my favorite commercial patterns for kids costuming. I make fewer costumes for big people. 🙂

Do you all have any favorites you want to share? Tell us in the comments! And tell us even if they’re out of print – old patterns are REALLY easy to find online – especially if you can give us the pattern # to search by.

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi

The Simplest Skirt Pattern

June 28, 2011

The Simplest Skirt - a free pattern from Shiny Happy World

Here it is – the simplest skirt you can possibly make and the best project I know for beginning sewists who want to make clothing.

Size this one up to fit adults – or down to fit dolls and stuffed animals. It’s all good.

What you’ll need

fabric (amount will depend on your measurements)
elastic
double-fold bias tape (optional)
sewing machine, thread, basic sewing tools
less than an hour. I mean it. I’ve never actually timed myself, but I think I can make one of these in 15 minutes.

Difficulty

Very, very, very easy.

Here’s how to make it.

Step 1

Measure around your waist and the desired length of the skirt.

waist _______________ length ______________

For a skirt with “average” fullness, cut your rectangle twice your waist measurement, plus 1 inch for seam allowance. This does not need to be an exact measurement.

My daughter’s waist is 24 inches. My target for the total length of my fabric rectangle was 49 inches, but the fabric was 44 inches wide. Did I piece in an additional 5 inches? No way. I just used the existing width of the fabric.

Anything from 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 times the waist measurement will look good and have some fullness, but you can go even smaller for a more fitted look, and even larger with a very thin fabric. Play around with it!

What width elastic will you be using?
You’ll need to add enough to your total cut length to make an elastic casing. Add the width of the elastic + 5/8 inch. That’s enough to turn it under 3/8 inch, press, then turn it under the width of the elastic + 1/4 inch.

You can see a video showing how to use elastic in a casing here.

Will you be adding a hem?
I usually add 1 inch hem allowance – enough to turn it under 1/2 inch, press, then another 1/2 inch, press, and stitch. Some people like wider hems. In this sample I didn’t hem at all – just bound the lower edge with bias tape. It’s up to you!

Cut your fabric rectangle.

Step 2

Fold your rectangle in half, right sides together, and stitch the short edge with 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Finish the seam allowance. This was kind of a ravelly fabric, so I zigzagged the seam. You can see how to do that and another easy seam finish option in this video.

Step 3

If you’re going to use bias tape to finish the seam, prepare it now. I found a packet of very old single fold bias tape that I wanted to use. Since it was single fold, I needed to fold it in half one more time and press it.

If you want to make your own and don’t know how – watch this video. For this project you can cut your strips on the straight grain.

Step 4

Attach the bias tape by folding it around the raw edge of the skirt fabric and stitching it in place.

Step 5

Here’s what your finished hem will look like.

If you want to do a regular folded hem instead, you can see how in this video.

Step 6

Fold the top edge under 3/8 inch. Press. Fold again the width of the elastic plus 1/4 inch. Press. (I used 1 inch elastic on this skirt.)

Stitch the casing as close to that folded edge as possible, leaving about 3 inches open for inserting the elastic. Thread in the elastic, pin the ends together and TRY IT ON.

If you want to see me do this step on this very skirt, watch this video.

Step 7

Once you know the fit is good, securely sew the ends of your elastic together. I sew a box around the edges of the overlapped bits, then sew an X across the box.

I’m showing you an example from another project because if I sewed this one in a thread dark enough to see, it would also show through the very thin white fabric of the skirt, and that would’t be pretty.

You can see all of this in the same video I mentioned in Step 6.

Step 8

Let the elastic pop back into the casing, fold the casing back in place, and stitch that opening closed. Throw on the skirt and go play on a tire swing.

It really is that easy!

You can size this to fit anyone – though the shape isn’t terribly flattering on most adult women. Those of us with hips, anyway. 🙂

This is a great project for kids to make for themselves and also for their dolls and stuffed animals – easy to sew, easy on and off, and really inexpensive.

Want to see what some kids have made with this basic pattern?

This skirt got some fancy beading.

And I love the tutu on this Ugly Doll – made with tulle and no hem needed.

And, of course, the gap-toothed kid holding it! 🙂

These were all from a Summer Camp I taught a couple of years ago.

Best,
Wendi

Easy Apron – Free Sewing Pattern

June 14, 2011

Easy Apron - a free sewing pattern from Shiny Happy World

Aprons.

This is about the easiest apron you can possibly sew. A rectangle of fabric, gathered at the top, and edged with double-fold tape that also serves as a tie.

Easy peasy!

Follow this pattern to whip one up in an afternoon, and you’ll be an expert – ready for some really fun variations – patchwork aprons, ruffled aprons, and frilly, fancy, useless aprons.

But first – an easy apron.

What you’ll need

fabric for the main apron and pocket (amount will depend on your measurements)
sewing machine, thread, basic sewing tools
1-2 hours

Step 1

Cut the following pieces. . .

For the main apron piece, measure all the way around the waist, and measure from the waist down to the desired length (usually anywhere from mid-thigh to the knee, depending on the look you prefer).

Cut a rectangle of fabric the width of the total waist measurement, and the height of the desired length plus 1 inch.

For the pocket, cut two squares of fabric, both 6 inches square. This will make one pocket. If you want to make two pockets, cut four squares.

For the wasitband/tie, cut strips (on the straight grain) 3 inches wide. You’ll need to cut multiple strips and join them together to get the desired length.

For a girl’s apron that ties in the back, you’ll need a total length of 58 inches. To double-wrap and tie in the front you’ll need 84 inches.
For a woman’s apron that ties in the back you’ll need 72 inches. To tie it in the front you’ll need 96 inches.

Step 2

Place two pocket squares right sides together.

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch almost all the way around the edge, leaving a two-inch hole to turn it right side out. (If you’re new to sewing, this video shows how to sew straight lines and turn corners.)

Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching.

Clip the corners close to, but not into the stitching.

Step 3

Turn the pocket right side out. Tuck in the raw edges at the opening you used for turning and press all the edges flat.

Stitch along the top edge of the pocket, as close to the edge as possible.

Repeat for a second pocket, if you choose.

Step 4

Position the pocket so that the top left corner is 5 inches down from the top edge of the apron piece, and 5 inches in from the left edge of the apron piece.

Stitch the pocket in place, very close to the edge of the pocket. Stitch down one side, across the bottom (closing up the opening you used for turning), and up the other side.

It’s VERY important to remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching. Otherwise your pocket will eventually come loose and fall off and you’ll be sad.

Step 6

Hem each side of the main apron piece.

This video shows how to hem.

Turn the edge under 1/2 inch. Press. Turn under another half inch. Press. Stitch down very close to the folded edge of the fabric.

Repeat with the second side.

Repeat for the bottom edge of the apron.

Step 7

Time to prep the waistband/tie. Essentially – we’re going to make some wide double-fold tape. There’s a video here showing how.

Use a 1 1/2″ bias tape tool to turn your 3″ strip into double-fold tape. If you don’t have the right tool, just do it by hand.

Fold the strip in half the long way. Press.

Fold each long edge into the center. Press.

Refold the center. Press.

The tool is handy, but doing it the old-fashioned way doesn’t take long. 🙂

Open up the center fold and turn the short end under 1/4 inch. Refold and press. Now you’ll have a neat end to your tie.

Step 8

Gather up the top edge of the apron (using either a gathering foot or the basting-stitch method from this video) until it’s the desired width, usually a little more than half of the total waist measurement.

This isn’t rocket science, so don’t tear out your hair (or your stitches) if you end up a little longer or shorter than you wanted. A little bit of variation won’t look bad.

Step 9

Fold your double-fold tape over the raw, gathered edge of the top of your apron.

If you pin the center of your tie to the center of your apron piece and work your way out from that center point, it’s very easy to get everything even with no measuring.

Pin the double-fold tape in place.

Step 10

Stitch the folded edges together, the whole length of the waistband/tie.

Start at one end. Stitch the short end together. Turn the corner and stitch all the way down the length of the tie, enclosing the gathered edge of the apron top in the fold. Sew slowly, making sure that you are catching the back fold of the tape in your stitching. Turn the corner and stitch the other short edge.

Finished!

You’re done! Tie on your new apron and get ready to make another. Now that you have the basics down you’re ready to try all kinds of fabulous variations!

Brag a little!

Don’t forget to take a picture of your finished apron! Post it to the Shiny Happy People group so everyone can see and be inspired by your work. Sharing is fun!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Free Sewing Pattern – Zippered Bag

May 31, 2011

How to Make a Zippered Bag - free tutorial from Shiny Happy World

Let’s learn to make an easy zippered bag!

I cut up a lot of old clothes to reuse the fabric.

I can’t stand to throw anything away, and I end up turning a lot of the zippers into handy-dandy zippered bags like this one.

Make them in grown-up fabrics to hold make-up, money, membership cards, etc.

Make them in kid-friendly fabrics to hold candy, money, colored pencils and a little notebook, tiny toys, rocks, etc.

(Why does everything I make end up holding rocks?)

Anyway. . . make it in a plain fabric and fancy it up with some applique or embroidery. I chose three monsters from the Monster Mash embroidery pattern to stitch on this one. Or make it in a stunning fabric that sings on its own.

Make one zippered bag according to the pattern and you’ll have the skills to make as many as you want – in any size and shape you need. And as if that wasn’t enough – it’s a great project for launching into the brave new world of ZIPPERS!

If you’ve been nervous about trying zippers this is a great first project using them.

And did I mention it’s lined?

Materials

scraps of fabric for the outside and the lining
7 inch zipper
embroidery thread for embellishing (optional)
sewing machine with a zipper foot, thread, basic sewing tools

Step 1

Cut two rectangles – each 8″ x 4 1/2″ for the outside of the bag.

Cut two more identical rectangles from your lining fabric.

If you want to add embroidery, applique or some other decoration to the front of the pouch, now is the time to do it. I chose three monsters from the Monster Mash embroidery pattern and stitched them to the front rectangle.

Step 2

Lay the rectangle that will be the front of the pouch right side up. Lay your zipper right side down on top of it.

Pin along the top edge.

Step 3

Now lay one of the lining pieces face down over the front piece, with the zipper sandwiched between the two layers. Pin so that all three edges are lined up at the top.

After you get the hang of this you can combine steps 2 and 3, but it’s helpful for beginners to do them as two separate steps.

Step 4

Put your zipper foot into your machine and sew the three layers together as close to the teeth of the zipper as your zipper foot will allow.

Watch this video first if you’ve never worked with zippers before.

Flip the pieces right side out so it looks like the photo.

Step 5

Repeat for the other side of the zipper.

Lay the outer rectangle face up. Lay the zipper (with the other outer and lining pieces sewn to it) face down. Lay the lining piece face down.

Pin all along the top edge and sew.

Step 6

Now when you flip everything right side out it will look like this.

If you turn it over you should see the right sides of both lining pieces.

Press the seams on either side of the zipper flat.

Step 7

Now unzip the zipper about halfway. If you skip this step you will be VERY unhappy – so please do it now.

Flip things around so that the right sides of the outer fabric are facing each other, and the right sides of the lining pieces are facing each other.

Step 8

Pin all the way around the outside edge. You’ll want to leave a 3 inch opening in the lining seam so you can turn everything right side out.

Pay special attention to which way your seam allowance is facing. You want to flip it toward the main fabric.

This will make the teeth of the zipper inside tend to point toward the lining fabric and that is very important. Check those teeth before you sew. Are they pointing toward the lining? Good!

Step 9

Using 1/2 inch seam allowance, stitch all the way around the edge, leaving a 3 inch opening in the lining seam.

Remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of all your stitching.

Clip your corners close to, but not into, your stitching.

Step 10

Ready for some magic? Turn the whole thing right side out through the opening you left in the lining. (See why you had to unzip that zipper?)

Ta daa!

Use a stick or other tool to poke your corners out nice and smooth. Press everything flat. If you added embroidery be sure to press around it, otherwise you will squish it and then you will be sad.

Step 11

Sew up the opening you used for turning. I used the ladder stitch but beginners might opt for whipstitch instead. (Those links go to videos teaching how to do both stitches.)

Tuck the lining inside the zippered bag.

Finished!

Now that you’ve made one you can make as many as you want, in any sizes you want. Just remember to cut your fabric rectangles to match the length of the entire zipper tape – not just the toothed part. Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance will usually butt your side seams right up to the top and bottom of the zipper teeth, but double-check to make sure.

Happy stitching!

Mini Tote – Free Sewing Pattern PDF

April 26, 2011

Mini Tote Bag pattern - free from Shiny Happy World

Here’s a free tote bag pattern!

This mini tote bag measures 6 inches wide x 7 inches tall x 2 inches deep.

It’s the perfect size for packing your lunch, carrying a few books, or toting some toys.

And it’s easy to make!

You can decorate your bag any way you like. For that adorable bunny bag (perfect for Easter egg hunting) I used one of the blocks from this Woodland Critters quilt pattern, with the size reduced.

If you’re looking for free bunnies, I’ve got those too. Click here for the free Mix & Match Bunny applique pattern with several super cute bunny appliques. For all of these you’ll need to print the pattern pages at 60% to get the right size for the bag.

If you’re using a different pattern or your own design (or maybe a child’s drawing for an extra special bag) just make sure that the image is no more than 5 inches wide and 6 inches tall.

On the sample bag I used for the step-by-step photos below, I embroidered one of my favorite birds from this Bird Sampler pattern onto a solid fabric before sewing it up in Step 3. You’ll see the pretty bird in the final step. 🙂

You could also use a fabulous print that needs no extra fancification.

Choose a fun coordinating color for the lining and you’re ready to sew!

It’s a totally versatile tote bag pattern that you can use in so many different ways. Have fun with it!

What You’ll Need

one fat quarter of the main fabric
one fat quarter (or less) for the lining fabric
any additional materials you want for optional embellishing

Step 1

We’ll start with the handles. Cut two strips of the main fabric, each 5 x 12 inches. Fold one of the fabric strips in half the long way, right sides facing out. Press. Open the strip back up and fold each long edge in toward the center fold. Press.

There’s a video showing how to make doublefold bias tape here. And if you’re new to rotary cutting, there’s a video here that will get you started.

Step 2

Fold in half again along the center fold so that you have one long strip, four layers of fabric thick. This makes a nice, sturdy strap. Press.

Topstitch along both long edges, about 1/8 inch from the edge.

Repeat for the second handle.

Step 3

Now for the bag. Cut two 9 inch squares from the main fabric, and two from the lining fabric. If you’re going to embroider your bag (or embellish it in any other way) do this now before you sew the pieces together.

Pin the two main fabric squares right sides together. Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch around both sides and the bottom of the bag.

Is this your first sewing machine project? This video will show you how to sew straight lines and turn corners. 🙂

Repeat for the lining pieces.

Step 4

Open out one bottom corner of the bag so that the side seam and center bottom seam line up, and the corner of the bag makes a point. Measure up one inch from the tip of the stitching (NOT the tip of the fabric triangle) and stitch a line perpendicular to the side seam.

Repeat for the other corner.

Repeat for the lining.

There’s a video showing how to box corners here.

Step 5

Turn the main bag right side out. Leave the lining inside out.

Pin the edge of one strap to the top edge of the bag, 1 1/2 inches in from the side seam.

Repeat for the other end of the strap.

Repeat with the second strap on the other side of the bag.

Step 6

Put the main bag (right side out) inside the lining (wrong side out), with the straps sandwiched between the two layers.

The bag and lining should be right sides together.

Line up the side seams and pin the layers together around the top edge of the bag.

Step 7

Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, stitch almost all the way around the top edge of the bag. Leave the space between the two ends of one handle unstitched, so you can pull the bag through the opening.

The easiest way to do this is to start sewing right at the inside edge of one handle. Sew through that handle, around the side seam, through both handles on the other side, around the second side seam, and through the last handle. Stop as soon as you sew over the last handle.

leave an opening to turn the tote bag right side out

Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching. This is a pretty small opening and there will be some pressure on the edges as you pull the bag through.

Step 8

Reach into the opening and pull the main bag through. Pull through the handles, then pull the lining right side out and tuck it into the bag.

Press around the top edge, being especially careful to press the open edges evenly.

Step 9

Topstitch around the bag, about 1/8 inch from the top edge.

Be sure that the folded edges of the opening you used for turning are lined up and that you catch both layers in the topstitching to hold them together. No hand stitching needed. 🙂

Finished!

Here are several free patterns that work with my basic 10-inch applique squares – no resizing needed!

Here are several free patterns that work with just some simple resizing. This post about making coasters has info about resizing an applique pattern that can be applied to any of these projects.

Free Bib Pattern
Simple Christmas Stocking
Mini Bunny Tote Bag
Turn Any Quilt Block Patterns into Cute Coasters
Cozy Bear Coasters
The Big Bag (applique on the pocket)
Cloth Book for Babies

Return to the main Let’s Make a Quilt Table of Contents.

Happy sewing!

What you’ll need

Difficulty

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

What you’ll need

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

Materials

What You’ll Need

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

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