Unlike plastic bags, cotton tote bags are reusable and durable items that continue to serve their purposes for years. A tote bag is an omnipresent accessory owing to the convenience they offer. Apart from being on trend, tote bags offer high storage space and are extremely handy. In fact, they’re now a staple accessory for all. Whether men, women, or children, there’s no denying that a decorative cotton tote bag offers tremendous utility.
As products, the demand for large and roomy tote bags is quite high. Consumers are becoming more ethically conscious with the fashion accessories they choose to use, adding to their popularity. One of the key reasons why tote bags made their way into mainstream culture is their versatile design that balances both practicality and appeal. Tote bag fabrics and patterns are chosen mindfully to ensure that style and functionality are not compromised.
So, is there any reason to not switch to these sustainable bags? Well, we think basic tote bags are the best. And what’s even better is that they can be made quite easily by anybody willing to get stuck in, so… Let’s find out how!
To make a perfect tote bag, all you’ll need is some basic calico fabric material, natural cotton thread, and basic sewing skills. With these, you can make your very own tote bag outline that is tailored to your style and utility needs.
Broadly speaking, for a simple tote bag design, the bag-making process can be divided into four parts that are listed as follows:
- Preparation of the fabric
- Sewing the structure of the bag
- Creating the handles
- Decoration of the bag
So, before we dig deeper into the above-discussed process of bag making, the following are some essential things that you must keep in mind:
- Be mindful of the tote bag material that you choose. For instance, choose a simple and smooth material such as natural calico for ease of manufacturing the bag you have in mind.
- For the sides of the tote bag, make sure to cut two identical rectangles from the material.
- To ensure a clean profile, mitre the bottom edges of the bag. Also, focus on hemming the edges of both rectangles before sewing them together.
To make a canvas tote bag that is sturdy and has a professionally finished look, here’s how to begin!
1 Preparation of the Tote Bag Fabric
This is the foremost step involved in the bag-making process that requires choosing of the tote bag material. Cut them into two equal rectangular sizes, and determine the ends where the handles will go. While it’s your personal choice, make sure to go for a nice quality and durable fabric as it’ll determine the quality of your tote bag.
Now comes the cutting phase where you’ll have to decide the size and pattern for your tote bag. Whether big or small, create the marks accurately on the fabric using a pen and cut the rectangles neatly. Once you have two same-sized rectangular fabric pieces, you can fold them in thirds lengthwise to mark the ideal places to centre the handles later.
2 Sewing
This is the most important part of the bag-making process where you have to hem, sew, and mitre the edges of the fabric to give it a bag-like structure. If you’re someone who has basic sewing skills, this part will be a breeze for you. However, if you are new to sewing, it’s best that you get help from someone who knows sewing a little better.
First things first, hem the top edges of both fabric pieces before sewing the main body of the tote bag. Followed by this is the straight sewing of the two rectangles along the sides and bottom whilst keeping the top open. Mitering each corner of the bags ensures that the bottom and side seam are stacked on each other, making the corners blunted.
3 Creating Handles
The right positioning and sewing of handles firmly are important to ensure that the bag holds your belongings securely. Determine how long you want the handles to be and cut two strips of equal length from the same fabric. Then stitch the long sides and edges of the handles either by hand or by using a sewing machine. Once done, the handles are ready to sew to the bags.
Typically, these handles are placed approx. 1.5 inches below the edge of the bag opening where they can be placed or stitched using a pin.
4 Decoration of the bag
Once the tote bag structure is made, there are endless decoration options that one can opt for. Starting from digital print to fabric paints, sequences, and buttons, you can design your tote bag fabric literally as you want.
Also, suppose you want to customize your canvas tote bag in a sophisticated way. In that case, you can always contact Cotton Bag Factory to have your unique designs and artwork printed in high quality. Here, we offer premium-quality printed tote bags at affordable rates that suit every budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
