Valentine Tote Bag

valentine tote

I am so in love with Milk Sugar Flower fabric from Penny Rose for Valentine’s Day!  It just screams vintage valentine!  I thought Sally needed a cute tote bag to carry her valentines in when she has her Valentine Party!  This tote bag is the perfect size for so many things!  Library books, piano books, car trips, stuffed animals, and dolls!  Sally will be using it as her piano book bag when Valentine’s Day is over.  The bag gets its stability from Therm o Web Fusible Medium Weight Stabilizer.  You can totally sew it in an hour!  Yippee!!

valentine tote bag 5

I have to pay her to model you know 🙂valentine tote bag

 

valentine tote bag 35

valentine tote bagNote: The seam allowances very as noted in the directions

Supplies for project:

1/3 yard main fabric

1/4 yard white accent

1/3 yard blue accent & handles

1/3 yard lining

HeatnBond® Lite Fusible Adhesive

2 yards HeatnBond® medium weight fusible stabilizer

valentine tote bag 8

Cut the following:

White (2) 4.5″ x 16″ accent strip main bag

Blue (2) 2″ x 16″ accent strip main bag

Pink (2) 10.5″ x 16″ main bag

Blue handles 6″ x WOF

Lining (2) 16″ squares

Sew the strips together in that order using 1/4″ seam allowances.  You should have (2) 16″ squares for the outer bag.

valentine tote bag 12Draw a heart on the Heat n Bond® Lite and iron it to the wrong side of the red fabric.

valentine tote bag 10 Cut around the heart and peel off the backing paper.  Position the heart as pictured above.  Make sure to leave plenty of room for the bag bottom.  Press into place and top stitch around the heart.

valentine tote bag 13Cut the HeatnBond® Interfacing/stabilizer into (4) 16″ squares.

valentine tote bag 14Cut the lining pieces (2) 16″ squares.

Fuse the HeatnBond® interfacing onto the wrong side of both the outer bag pieces and both of the lining pieces.

valentine tote bag 16Match both outer bag pieces right sides together and pin all the way around.  Do the same for the lining pieces.  Sew around the sides and the bottom using 1/2″ seam.  Leave a 3″ opening (for turning) on one of the sides of the lining.

valentine tote bag 20Cut a 2″ square notch out of the bottom corners of the outer bag and the lining.

valentine tote bag 21Open the notch and match the side seam and the bottom seam.  Pin.  Do this to each of the notched corners.

valentine tote bag 25Sew along this edge using 1/4″ seam.

valentine tote bag 23It’s starting to look like a bag!

valentine tote bag 29Press the 6″ handle strip in half lengthwise, then fold the edges into the center, the handle strip should be pressed into equal sections of four.

valentine tote bag 30Press the handles and top stitch along both long sides.  Trim off selvage.  Cut the handle strip in half creating 2 handles.

valentine tote bag 31Turn the outer bag right side out and pin the handles into place.  Measure 3.5″ from the side of the bag to position the handle.  Baste the edge of each handle 1/8″ from the edge.

valentine tote bag 32Place the right side out outer bag inside the inside out lining (that wasn’t confusing at all!)  The above picture is how it should look.  Essentially the lining and the outer bag are right sides together.  Match the side seams.  Pin all the way around the bag.  Sew 1/4″ along the edge all the way around the bag.  Turn the bag right side out through the opening of the lining.  Top stitch the opening closed.  Press the lining of the bag so you can’t see any lining on the front of the bag.  Top stitch 1/8″ seam all the way around the top of the bag.

valentine tote bag 34I love how it turned out and so does Sally!  It just screams Sweet Valentine!

valentine tote bag 33Time to get working on our valentines!

valentine tote bag 5

Signature

Speak Your Mind

*