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Tote Bag with Recessed Zip | BAG WEEK | Pattern to download
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Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps
Cute, spacious and secure, this is the tote bag to end all tote bags! And by making it, you’ll learn a clever technique to take your totes to the next level.
We're starting off 'Bag Week' strong, with a tote I think you all are going to love! Keep your eyes peeled: a new variation of a famous HYSC bag is going to be uploaded each day of Bag Week. To finish it off, we have a lovely guest designer feature lined up.
A tote bag has got to be one of the most useful styles of bag around. Usually open at the top, it’s easy to get things in and out, even with one hand, but sometimes you want a bit of security, and that’s where this bag comes into its own. This useful tote bag features a boxed recessed zipped panel, a new technique to the HY club!
Inside the bag there’s a patch pocket, which is a handy place to keep your phone or car keys, and you can always add more pockets if you want. For example, you could add the zip pocket from Bag #2 of One Bag, Three Ways, or simply add a second patch pocket.
I’ve made the handles a comfortable length for me, but these can easily be made shorter or longer if you wish.
I’ve also embellished my bag with a heart appliqué which is optional. I’ve kept mine plain, but it might be nice to add a chenille border to the heart as we did with the Zipped Storage Case! Of course, you can add a different appliqué motif, if you prefer, or try out another decorative technique such as machine embroidery (see Tote Bag Sewing Pattern | Learn Freehand Machine Embroidery).
I’ve used quilting cotton, but how different it would look in denim, cork or canvas!
Too difficult?
If you’re not quite ready to tackle a zipped tote, there are plenty of other options at the Half Yard Club. The Oilcloth Tote Bag is one of the easiest, and you don’t have to make it out of oilcloth if you’d rather use standard fabric. Another easy option is The Quilted Tote Bag, if you fancy learning some basic quilting along the way, or for something a little different, try Bag #1 from One Bag, Three Ways, which has a stylish shape but is still an easy bag to make.
By the end of this project, you’ll have:
- Made a cute zipped tote
- Learned how to add a zipped panel to a bag top
- Made foolproof boxed corners on a bag
- Practised your appliqué skills
Note: use a ¼in (5mm) seam allowance.
Finished size: 12 x 12 x 3in (30.5 x 30.5 x 7.5cm) plus handles.
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You will need:
Equipment
- Sewing machine with a needle suitable for your fabric and a standard foot; you may also wish to have a zipper foot to make it easier to sew in the zip
- Scissors
- Pins and/or fabric clips
- Optional: turning tool, knitting needle, blunt pencil or similar object to push out the bottom point of the heart and the corners of the pocket
- Optional: basting spray or fabric glue to secure the heart while you stitch it – or you could use pins
- Optional: spray starch
Materials
- 42 x 23in (107 x 58.5cm) of outer upper fabric – mine is checked
- 42 x 25in (107 x 63.5cm) of contrast fabric for the outer bag base, heart appliqué and lining – mine is floral
- 36 x 16in (91.5 x 40.5cm) of fusible craft fleece
- Zip at least14in (35.5cm) long – mine was 18in (46cm)
Cut
- Two 16 x 10in (40.5 x 25.5cm) pieces of outer upper fabric
- Two 16 x 5in (40.5 x 13cm) pieces of contrast fabric
- Two 16 x 3½in (40.5 x 9cm) pieces of outer upper fabric for the zipped panel
- Two 16 x 3½in (40.5 x 9cm) pieces of contrast fabric for the zipped panel
- Two 9 x 6in (23 x 15cm) pieces of outer upper fabric for the patch pocket
- Two 25 x 4in (63.5 x 10cm) pieces of outer upper fabric for the handles
- Two 25 x ¾in (63.5 x 2cm) strips of fusible fleece for the handles
- Two heart appliqué pieces in contrast fabric
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Project steps:
Step 1
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Step 2
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