Happy Monday, everyone! I hope all of you are having a great summer so far. Does anyone feel like it’s gone by too quickly? It’s already school-supply shopping time! Oh my!
Today I have an easy sewing tutorial to share – perfect for a last-minute summer project! This reversible tote would be great to take the the beach because it’s made with laminate fabric. It can hold all your wet stuff!
I was able to choose any fabric from Riley Blake for this project. (Lucky!) I was dying to try out the laminate, and of course the gorgeous Chevron was hard to resist!
Supplies:
- 2/3 yard of fabric in one pattern (I used Riley Blake Chevron Laminate in Navy)
- 3/4 yard of fabric in a different pattern (Riley Blake Chevron Laminate in Yellow)
- Sewing machine and sewing tools
Here’s how to get started. I’m new to sewing, so if I can do it, you can do it!
(Original Pattern from Skip to My Lou, found here)
1. Cut your fabric. You will need 4 pieces.
2. Each of my pieces were 19 inches wide and 21 inches long.
3. Pin right sides together with both patterns (yellow facing yellow, then navy facing navy) so that you have two pieces. These will be the outside piece and lining piece of the bag.
4. Sew around 3 sides of both the pinned sets. Leave the top open.
5. Pinch the bottom corner of the bag so that the seam goes right down the middle of the “triangle” you create. Mark at 3 inches.
6. Sew straight across the corner and the 3-inch mark and trim off the excess.
7. You should now have a nice, boxed edge on the bottom corner when you turn the fabric right-side out. Repeat for all 4 corners.
8. Put the lining piece inside the outside piece. (With both still as you sewed, wrong sides out.)
9. To make the strap, cut one piece of fabric 4 x 44 inches.
10. Fold in half and press. Yes, you can iron Riley Blake Laminate! Check these tips for instructions. It gets really hot! And I found that I still needed to pin everything to help keep it in place.
11. Open up the strap piece and fold each side into the middle crease you just created.
12. Fold in half and sew down both sides of the strap to secure.
13. Cut the long strap in half to make two equal pieces. Pin the straps inside the bag about 4-5 inches from each side. (See this tutorial for help on sewing in the straps.)
14. Sew around the top of the bag to attach the strap, leaving a 3-4 inch gap so you can turn the bag. Turn inside out and then push the lining into the bag.
15. Now topstitch all the way around the top of the bag. This will give it a nice finish and also close the gap you used for turning.
I found this information from the Riley Blake website helpful: Helpful Hints for Sewing With Laminates.
I love how fun and bright the yellow lining is. And it’s totally reversible! The Laminate was much easier to work with than I expected. I love that it can be wiped down when it gets dirty. (Yes, I’ve already had to magic-eraser it after finding my daughter’s little green scribbles all over one side!) It’s perfect for stashing all your stuff for swimming lessons or a trip to the lake! Enjoy!
This post was originally written for Mom It Forward – original post found here. All opinions are my own, and I received samples of Riley Blake fabric to use for this project.
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So great! I have been following you for about two weeks now and adore your ideas! So fun and practical! Keep up the great work! 🙂
Mackenzie 🙂
cheeriosandlattes.com
This is so cute! And I adore the fabric. Thanks for sharing. I’m a beginner too, but I think I could handle this one : )
This may be do-able, even for a duct tape girl like me….
New follower from the Girl Loves GLam post. Thanks for all the great tips!
This is super cute! Wish I had time to make this before we go to Florida. I love it!
That is so stinkin cute!!!
That’s so cute! Thank you for sharing this at Saturday Show and Tell. I can’t wait to see what you have for this week! I look forward to seeing you there.
-Mackenzie
http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com