How to Transform a Tired Tote with Patchwork

January 28th, 2009 in sewing, patterns & designs, restyle

Linda Permann, contributor

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Carry your new green tote everywhere! No more plastic bags!

Gather all of your materials before you get started.

Start by sewing a denim pocket to the inside of your bag. Place the pocket as you desire on the inside of the bag, pin it in place, and sew around the sides and bottom of the pocket to secure it to the bag.

Carry your "new" green tote everywhere! No more plastic bags!

Photo: Linda Permann

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If you have a stack of free tote bags you never use, try refashioning them with some simple patchwork. It's a great way to cover up stains, logos/wording you don't want to be seen with, and to add a little pop to your sustainable grocery bag. The way I see it, the more you like your tote, the more likely you are to remember to bring it with you whenever you go to the grocery store. And remember—you can use a tote bag instead of plastic at ANY store, not just the farmer's market.

Gather all of your materials before you get started.

You'll need:

An 8-inch x 13-inch tote bag to embellish (I used a tote I "ruined" with a badly transferred iron-on)
Several scraps of fabric, each 8 inches wide with varying lengths (2 inches, 3 inches, 5 inches etc.)
Jean pocket (optional—I used this to add an inside pocket to the tote)
Scissors
Straight pins
Sewing machine and thread

Start by sewing a denim pocket to the inside of your bag. Just clip the pocket from an old pair of jeans and then trim the denim as close to the outer and inner edge as possible—that way, you can save the frustration of seam ripping.

Place the pocket as you desire on the inside of the bag, pin it in place, and sew around the sides and bottom of the pocket to secure it to the bag. Remember to load the bobbin with thread that matches the outside of your bag.

Next, decide on how you want to place your strips on the part of the bag that is to be covered. I like to cut several scraps to the same width (8 inches in this case, which will cover 7-1/2 inches of the bag when finished) and play with the lengths. I used five pieces to cover 13 inches in length, so, with a 1/4-inch seam allowance for each strip and a 1/2-inch seam allowance for the top and bottom of the patchwork strip, the total length of my scraps (unsewn) was 16 inches.

Arrange your strips in a pleasing pattern along the part of the bag you want to cover.

Using a 1/4-inch seam allowance, sew the strips of fabric together, matching the 8-inch lengths. Trim the edges of your patchwork strip if you have any uneven areas. (Since I'm only using a few strips and they all go in the same direction, I pressed the seams all at once—see the next step.)

Press the back of the patchwork strip so that all of the seams face the same direction. Then, press the sides of the patchwork rectangle under by about 1/2 inch on each side.

With the wrong side of the fabric facing the right side of the bag, pin the patchwork rectangle to the bag. Remember, you can place the rectangle however you want—I placed mine vertically.

Carefully sew around the outer edge of the rectangle. It might be kind of tricky to maneuver around the bag, so go slowly and remember that you can stop and start again if you need to. You may also want to topstitch across each of the widthwise seams.

Carry your "new" green tote everywhere! No more plastic bags!

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posted in: sewing, patterns & designs, restyle, recycle, tote, DIY, patchwork

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Comments (5)

JohnWLennon writes: Taking something you are used to using and giving it a face lift is recycling and people think you got a new bag. Nice summery bag.
Posted: 8:50 pm on April 18th

JohnWLennon writes: Nice! Everyone likes a little change now and then. And to take something that you are already used to, give it a lift and it feels good.
Posted: 8:47 pm on April 18th

OrahLee writes: This is really a great idea. I'm going to do this tomorrow. Walgreen has a special on theirs today and I just can't get started making me some. BUT I'll add the patchwork and leave the top of the patchwork strip open to make a pocket. I love pockets and you never know !!!
Posted: 2:15 pm on February 1st