ruffled tote bag TUTORIAL

cute bag.... nerdy me

Ruffled Silhouette Tote Bag Tutorial

if you’ve been looking for a cute {and cheap!} way to carry your Silhouette SD tool around, look no further {yes, i know some big wigs that came out with a “Special Edition Tote Bag” recently, but i think mine is cuter AND it was a lot cheaper too….

and for those who do not have a Silhouette, this is a great little tote to carry around all kinds of things! i think it might fit a folding fabric lawn chair, but i’m not 100% on that. BUT i do know that this tote can easily hold oh, about 2 boxes of new shoes …..just sayin…;o)

when i was designing a bag to carry my Silhouette in, i knew it had to have ruffles. i decided to with these sort of flat style of ruffles because, well, they’re all the rage right now! i seem to see these flat-ish ruffle popping up everywhere…..and i rather love ’em! and of course, i had to use my latest color obsessions, teal and gray because they’re simply fabulous together.

TUTORIAL

first off, i want to apologize for the funny lighting in the pics. as i mentioned last week, we are getting ready to move and so with everything torn apart right now, i am stuck crafting 2 feet from where i sleep at night {very literally! i have a table set up next to our bed with my sewing machine on it!!} ok, i’ll stop rambling and get on with the tutorial because i know that’s what y’all are here for anyways! *as always, my tutorials are for PERSONAL USE only. thanks!*

Supplies

  • 1 yard heavy weight fabric for tote {i used cotton canvas}
  • 1/3 yard cotton fabric for ruffle
  • 1″ ribbon, {i used grosgrain so that it wouldn’t slip}
  • scissors
  • fray check/lighter
  • iron and ironing board

Tote bag cut:

  • 8″x8″ for bottom of tote
  • 8″x16″ for tote lid
  • 8″x22″ for tote sides, cut 4
  • 8″x26″ for tote strap

Ruffles cut:

  • 6″x width of fabric approx 44″, cut 2

Pocket {optional} cut

  • 3″x5″ {i used a scrap piece of fabric}
  1. sew the 4 tote side pieces together along the 22″ sides to create an open ended cube.

2. pin and sew the tote bottom to one end of the cube.

3. iron the tote strap piece in half length wise {should measure 4″x26″ now}

4. open up strap piece, then iron over both sides so that edges meet in the crease you made in Step 3 {the middle}

5. fold strap piece over again along the crease made in Step 3, re-iron. then top stitch around all sides.

6. with wrong side out, iron over 1/2″ on the open end of the tote base {this will be the top of the tote bag}. then iron over another 1/2″. then pin the strap underneath the folded portion. position it in the center of one of the tote bag side pieces. then pin the other end of the strap to the opposite side underneath the folded portion and centered in the tote side piece.

7. top stitch around the top of the tote bag.

8. turn bag right side out and pull straps up and out of the center of the bag. pin in place. top stitch around top of tote bag. this will sew the strap in place so that it comes up out of the bag.

9. fold the tote lid piece in half {so it measures 8″x8″} and sew around {1/2″ seam} and trim the corners.

10. turn lid right side out and top stitch around all edges.

11. sew a small pocket by folding the pocket piece in half, sewing around it, leaving a small hole, and trimming the corners. {similar to Step 9, but with a 2-3″ hole} turn right side out and then sew 3 sides to the lid piece. make sure to put the hole on one of the 3 sides you sew to the lid to finish the pocket.

12. turn tote bag inside out and pin the tote lid to one tote side piece. put the edge of the lid along the bottom edge of the folded down portion. sew along top seam of the lid.

13. sew the 2 ruffles pieces together along the 6″ side so that it measures 6″x approx. 90″. iron seam flat. then iron over 1″ along the 2 90″ sides.

14.  to create the ruffle look, make pleates as you go. very the size of the pleates to create a unique look. sew the ruffle piece to the tote with 1/2″ seam along the seam at the top of the tote. {sew the top side of the ruffles first}. when you sew the top of the ruffles all the way around the tote, trim off the excess fabric and tuck under the unfinished edge. sew the bottom of the ruffles the same way as you did the top of the ruffles with 1/2″ seam making random pleates all the way around. when you get the the end, tuck in the unfinished edge and sew across.

15. cut 2 pieces of ribbon 17″ long. finish edges and sew one piece of ribbon to the tote lid by sewing a box. sew the other piece of ribbon to the opposite tote side.

slide your Silhouette SD into its new home, put your extra tips and SD card into the pocket, and tie the ribbon and you’re good to go! there is plenty of room in the tote so you can wrap the cords around your machine if you don’t want to take them off. {hence the lumpiness in some pictures….}

you’re now ready to take your Silhouette SD and craft it up on the go!

Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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