Tutorial: Fabric Bag for Beginners

Simple Tote Bag— they are quick to make, look great, and are always useful. Free Sewing Tutorial.

 WHAT YOU NEED:

Fabric: 60 cm of fabric (at least 110 cm wide) should be sufficient
Quilting ruler or set square
Scissors
Matching thread
Pins
Chalk or a water-soluble marking pen
Optional (not pictured): Pinking shears for finishing edges

CUTTING OUT THE PIECES

 For the bag shown here, we need two fabric pieces measuring 40 × 50 cm, as well as two strips measuring 4 × 70 cm for the handles. The dimensions don't have to be exact—I usually adjust them to make the most efficient use of the fabric I have. I also like to tear the fabric pieces instead of cutting them: with woven cotton, this creates perfectly straight edges, and the technique is a great way to relieve stress! After cutting (or tearing) them out, give all the fabric pieces a good press with the iron.

RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER 

As is easy to see, the fabric has a nice side and a less nice side. Sewers call the nice side the "right side," while the less nice side is the "wrong side." When sewing, we generally place the two nice sides together—a technique known as "right sides together."

PINNING 

Now, pin the two large fabric pieces together—right sides facing—along three sides: the two long sides and one short side. Leave the second short side open so you can put things into your bag later. Make sure to place the pins at a right angle to the fabric edge.

SEWING 

Start sewing along one of the long sides. Sew approximately 4 stitches, then press the reverse button and sew 4 stitches backward to secure the seam; then continue sewing until you reach the end of the long side.

REMOVING PINS 

When sewing, remove the pins before sewing over them.

TURNING 

When you reach the end of the long side, you need to turn toward the short side. Here is how to do it: Sew to within approximately 1.5 cm of the end of the long side, stop the machine, and lower the needle into the fabric (turn the handwheel toward you).

Now raise the presser foot…

…and rotate the fabric 90° towards you so that the long sewn side faces left.

Lower the presser foot again. You're all set! Now you can sew the short side. At the end of the short side, repeat the same maneuver and sew the second long side. Once you reach the end, sew four stitches backward and then forward again to secure the seam. Press the seams and fabric pieces again.

OPTIONAL: FINISH THE EDGES 

To protect the fabric edges from fraying, you can trim them with pinking shears. This is not only practical but also looks fun!

SEWING THE SIDE GUSSET 

To give the pouch a small base, we will now sew a side gusset. If you prefer a flat pouch, you can skip this step. To do this, fold one of the corners you just sewed so that the top and bottom seams meet, and pin it in place. That sounds more complicated than it actually is! Now, draw a line at a right angle to the seam (2.5 cm away from the "tip").

Now sew along this line to secure the fold (don't forget to backstitch). You can then trim the corner using pinking shears.

And this is what the side gusset looks like from the outside. The more precisely the seams were aligned in the last step, the better the side and bottom seams meet here. It turned out quite well in this case!

PRESS THE TOP EDGE 

Now fold the top edge of the bag inwards twice so that no raw fabric edge is visible. Press this edge (and ideally the entire bag) thoroughly once more. Our bag is now almost finished!

MAKING THE STRAPS 

Let’s move on to the straps! Now, a bit of ironing is required. Take a strip of fabric and press the long edges toward the center—about 1 cm (eyeballing it is perfectly fine here). Next, fold the strip in half lengthwise and press it firmly again. Finally, topstitch along the open edge to keep it from unfolding. Repeat this process for the other strap.

PINNING THE STRAPS 

Now, fold the ends of the straps over twice and pin them to the inside of the bag in a position you like. Make sure the straps are symmetrical, positioned equally on both sides, and not twisted.

SEWING ON THE STRAPS 

Now sew the straps firmly to the bag from the inside, forming a small rectangle. This is what it looks like from the outside:

TOPSTITCH THE TOP EDGE 

Now sew along the top edge of the bag, about 1.5 cm from the edge, to secure the folded-over section. You can simply sew right over the straps.

ENJOY 

Hurray, you did it! Your bag is finished. You can now use it for shopping, trips to the library or the laundromat... or sew another one right away, because these bags also make great gifts.