Tutorial: How to Make a Large Tote Bag With Pockets (using Fabric Remnants)
This tutorial will teach you how to make a large tote bag with pockets and just 1/2 yard of fabric and some scraps. I’ve digitized the pattern I made for this tutorial so you can print it out and follow along with the step-by-step. This bag was made so that the main pattern piece will fit pretty much exactly on a half yard of 45″ width fabric.
Since I have the tendency to get an extra 1/2 yard of fabric “just in case” when I purchase fabric for my sewing projects, I always have a bunch of extra half yards laying around, so I like finding little projects to make using the leftover fabric and scraps from my stash.
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Supplies Needed:
Pattern includes:
(all of my patterns include 1/2″ seam allowance)
Step 1
hem upper edge of pocket
I’ve included 1.5″ for the upper hem of the pocket
Step 2
stitch pocket to front of bag
Place the pocket on the front according to the dots on the pattern piece and stitch the pocket in place. Make sure to leave the hemmed top free.
Step 3
place straps to cover the sides of the pocket and sew in place
Stitch along both sides of the straps. Leave the top 3 inches unstitched for now (we will hem this later)
Step 4
repeat for the second side of the bag
You can add a pocket to the back of the bag as well (I chose not to because I like how the fabric looked and I wanted to show it off a little more)
Step 5
fold the long edges of the base 1/2 inch and baste
Step 6
edgestitch the base to the center of the bag according to stitchline on pattern
This should cover the ends of the pockets and straps, enclosing all raw edges.
Step 7
fold the bag in half right sides together and sew the sides
You can finish your seams however you like, but since this bag might get some heavy use, I decided to use double fold bias tape for a seam binding. This will make the bag construction sturdier overall.
Step 8
flatten inner corners to make a triangle on the end and sew 1.5″ from the point
This gives the bag more of a shape so it’s not completely flat, and it reinforces the corners of the bag.
Step 9
Double-turn hem the upper edge of the bag
I’ve included a 1.5″ hem allowance to the top of bag
Step 10
sew the straps over the upper hem
Finish stitching all of the straps over top of the hemmed edge.
Finished!
