MJ's Easy Tote Bag

MJ’s Easy Tote
By Mary-Jeanine Ibarguen

This particular totebag combines a lot of different techniques:

·        Accu-Quilt Go ‘Critter’ Die Cutter

·        Rick-Rack

·        Use of a brand new product: Soft & Stable

·        Prairie points

·        Covered web handles

·        MJ’s ‘Tote without a  Pattern’ instructions (if you’re interested in a basic tote with some pockets, maybe a snap or Velcro closure, a flat bottom, you don’t really need a pattern.  Learn some of the basic techniques HERE or in my upcoming class on March 29, 2012).

Ready?  Here we go:

Fabrics needed:

·        3 light green fat quarters

·        3 medium pink fat quarters

·        ½ yard medium/dark green for prairie points

·        1 yard medium/dark pink for outer edges, handles

·        Leftovers will be used for lining and interior pockets

Supplies:

·        One package Soft & Stable, white

·        Two package medium rick-rack for seams (or smaller pieces from your stash)

·        Steam-a-Seam 2 for fusible appliqué (2 sheets or ¼” yard)

·        ¼” Seam-a-Seam roll (optional but very useful)

·        AccuQuilt Go ‘Critter’ Die

·        Solid or variegated thread for outlining the fusible appliqué

·        Your favorite closure (Velcro, magnet, button, snap, etc)

·        A regular (size 80 or 90) needle and a heavy duty Denim (size 100 or 110) needle.

·        A Walking Foot.  If you don’t have one, you should!  You can use it any time you’re sewing through more than a couple of layers.  It keeps everything feeding evenly through your machine…no puckers!!

Lets get makin’…

Cut six 5” squares of each light green fabric.  You will have a total 18   5” squares.  Arrange them into two nine-patches and sew them together.  Press the nine patches.

Center them on two 18.5” squares of Soft & Stable.  Now is a good time for a few pins.

Apply (sew) rick-rack over the interior seams.  (You are sewing through the rick-rack, the fabric seams and the Soft & Stable)  I ran out of the one package of rick-rack, so instead of running back to the store, I used some yellow from my stash.  Worked pretty well, don’t ya think?

How to make a prairie point?  Cut a 3.5” square, fold it in half diagonally.  Press.  Fold in half again to make a triangle with all the raw edges on one side of the triangle.  Now this little cutie can be inserted in a seam.

I played around for a little while with the prairie points…did I want a lot or a few?  Did I want different colors or just the one color?  I used some scrap pink Critter appliqués to help me test the various prairie point combos…

Anyway, when I was ready with my prairie points, I ‘pinned’ them to the edge with a little ¼” Steam-a-Seam.  Another great product I can’t live without.  Pins in this case would be difficult to push through all the layers and would probably make the prairie points all wonky.  But the SAS makes them behave until I can baste them down with my walking foot and sewing machine.

 

Time for the appliqués!  To use the Go Cutting System, its best to first apply Steam-a-Seam 2 to the back side of the fabric, then cut the Critters out on the Go cutting system.  Did you know that if you buy the Dies, you can use the store’s Go Cutter?  We’ll even show you how to do it when you come in.  There is a good blog post here on how to use multiple fabrics for one critter.

Play around with the appliqués, and have some fun.  When you decide where you want them, peel off the paper backing and iron them down.  Load up your sewing machine with some pretty thread.  It’s a good idea to try out some of your settings of your zigzag stitch before on a scrap:

Cut into your one yard of your medium/dark pink: you will need at least 2.5” wide strips to border this design, using a sew and flip technique.  In this next photo, I’ve sewn the sides together, but placing the two big squares right sides together and sewing on the left and right.  Sew across the bottom too.

 

Do you know how to box the corners?  See a good tute here. 

Now its time to make the lining. Measure your outside pieces.  They should be around 18.5” unfinished, so make your lining the same size.  I actually used up some of my leftover greens to make a light colored interior (I hate looking for stuff in the deep dark depths of a totebag).  I added a big pocket on either side of the lining. 

**Now is the time to add your personalized label to the top of a pocket, if you have one.

 At the top corners of the pocket, I stabilize the lining fabric with a little square of fusible tricot so the pocket doesn’t get torn out of the lining.  I haven’t actually seen that happen, but lets not start now, OK?  Here’s a photo of that tricot on the wrong side of the lining:

 

Here’s an important reminder: when you sew the sides and bottom of those lining pieces, be sure to leave a 4” hole on the side to birth that tote bag. OK?  And don’t forget to box those lining corners, too.

** Now is the time to add those magnets or Velcro if that is how you will close the bag.  You need access to both right and wrong sides of the lining to do that.

Handles: I covered some cotton web handles with my pink fabric.  Measure the width of your handles (1”), and cut the fabric double plus ½” (total of 2.5”). Iron the pieces in half lengthwise, then press a ¼” fold on both sides of the width.  Insert the webbing piece, fold one little fold over the webbing and kiss it to the other little fold.  The webbing should be completely encased.  Sew down on both sides of the handle, maybe 1/8” to ¼” from the edge. 

Measure and pin where you want the handles.  A word here about adding handles.  Don’t do what I’ve done in the past; don’t make ‘bra strap’ handles.  Be sure one hand starts and stops on the same side of the tote bag. 

NOTE:   this is a good time to switch over to your Denim size 110 needle.  I can’t tell you how many needles I’ve broken sewing handles onto bags.  The Denim needle is actually made with stronger metal that shouldn’t snap.

Apply the ends of the handles to each outside piece, raw edges matching up to the bag.  Make sure they aren’t twisted.  Baste the top edge with your walking foot.

Finishing the Bag

OK, you can do this, you’re almost there:  Attach the outer bag to the inner bag like this: turn the outer bag right side out, and inner bag right side in.  Place the outer bag into the inner bag.  Right sides of the two bags should be kissing.  Put in a few pins if desired and sew all the way around the top.  Check that you’ve caught everything in your seam allowance; you may have to go around again.  Be sure there are no folds caught up in your seam (ask me how I know!)

Birth that bag!  Pull the bag through the opening in the lining side.  Be patient and it WILL come through.  And you thought you were done giving birth ;)

Press that top seam, and top stitch ¼” from the top edge.  You may want to reverse and go over those handle areas a few extra times.

Don’t forget to sew up the hole in the lining.  I get lazy at this point and do it on my sewing machine.

If you wanted to use sew-in magnets or snaps, now is the time for that.

You are done, aren’t you proud of yourself!?