A Teachery Tote
I gave this oversized tote bag to my little sister for her birthday. She’s a teacher, and she loves to have big bags for carrying all those papers and books.
It’s pretty much just a basic lined tote with a reinforced bottom. This one was actually going to be my prototype, but once I added the red poppy pin to the front I decided that I liked it well enough to gift. I haven’t done much with linings and interior pockets before, so it was fun to experiment. My only real frustration was getting the lining fabric to be *exactly* the same size as the outer layer. I ended up with a few puckers, which is annoying. Anyone have any pointers?
Wanna peek inside?
December 13th, 2005 at 7:41 am
Hi! Your bag is really pretty! I love the color combination. When I make bags I cut the lining and the outer fabric the same size. Sometimes when I remember I cut the lining maybe 1/4″ shorter than the outer fabric so that none peeks out at the top. Assemble the outer bag and the lining separately then put them together, one inside the other. At this point you can compare the lining to the outer bag. Hold them next to eachother lining up the side seams to be sure they are the same size. If not adjust as needed. Then put the outer bag inside the lining ( outer bag right side out and lining inside out). I use a lot of pins but that’s just me. I know many people hat to use pins but for me it keeps everthing lined up. Sew them together at the top leaving a place for turning ( I try to leave a place big enough to get my hand inside). I then iron down the seam allowance and also iron down the portion not sewn. Turn the bag and top stitch around the top. This closes the place you left for turning. I hope this wasn’t too wordy.
June 1st, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Every teacher, former as well al non teacher will love having one of these catch all bags . Could you e-mail or post your exact pattern?
Thanks