It all started a few days ago when the regular purse I’ve been using just wasn’t holding all of my kids winter gloves, my massive wallet and the stash of protein bars I store like a squirrel in the dead of winter.
You see, I want to be a minimalist mom who only carries a few items but alas…. my life keeps getting in the way. I had my small purse packed so tight it struggled to close and it’s poor zipper was about to burst.
I had been soooo excited to start carrying a small, petite bag once my youngest was potty trained and I could sell my massive- yet totally practical diaper bag on Poshmark. I ditched my diaper bag long before I ever donated our unused diaper stash.
Then one night, when I knew I should be using a larger bag anyways, I slung my tiny purse over my shoulder, packed all four kids up, and took them out for a night of family fun. We headed to a small, Christmas market and found ourselves an hour later each with massive sticks of cotton candy in both hands.
An hour and ten minutes after arriving, the cotton candy was gone…. and my kids were covered in an impressively sticky mess.
Then one asked for a baby wipe. Nope- that wouldn’t have fit in my tiny bag. Then one got a runny nose…. but I had no tissues either. Now it felt like their whole bodies were incredibly sticky. This particular market also had no restrooms whatsoever but only outhouses and sanitizer bottles. I was stuck.
So I did what most moms with messy kids do and told them to resist trying to lick their own chins and waddle back to the car with their hands shoved deeply into their pockets so they wouldn’t touch anything- especially me. Once their hands were secure in their pockets, they were so sticky they wouldn’t come out anyways so I was almost home free.
When we arrived home, I got them cleaned up and almost immediately started planning this project.
DIY Tote Bag Supplies
How To Make A Tote Bag
The first step is to cut your tote bag pattern. For today’s tutorial, I wanted to be sure this pattern was as easy to make as possible so it’s literally only 2 measurements. This complicated-looking bag truly has the simplest tote bag pattern I’ve seen- especially for a reversible design.
Are you ready for it? Just cut one piece of faux fur and one piece of faux leather to 24″ x 19″. Stack the fabric on top of each other with the “right sides” together.
Simple enough so far right?
Next, fold the two closed corners down at the ends like this:
Now, you’re going to take a ruler and trim 6″ off the top of your tote and separate it from the body of your bag. This section will create the reversible top of the bag.
Tip: If the faux leather fabric is tacky against your sewing machine pressure foot and won’t glide through smoothly, just stick a piece of basic tissue paper over the leather before sewing. It won’t interfere with the needle, creates a smoother surface for sewing, and can be ripped off easily after the stitching is complete.
I hope you loved this little tote bag pattern and as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below!
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