TLDR; I made a simple tote bag, and then I made a fancier tote bag - WITH POCKETS!
Earlier this year, my sister (The Moody Sewist) gifted me a hand me down (hand me up?) sewing machine! It's been sitting, largely unused, for months as I've been too intimidated to do much more than simple stitches to fix a hole in my kid's clothes (and take in a dress for my Granny which was WAY over my skill level, but we made it work!).
I've wanted to learn how to sew for ages, but never found the time. Well, as luck would have it I stumbled across an opportunity to be a beta tester for "Sewing Basics for Busy Moms" - a 7 day online course from The Carolina Sewcialite that promised simple, step by step instructions to make my very own tote bag! Along with 172 of my new best friends, I jumped in last week and put my sewing skills to the test! [NOTE: the course is currently closed, but should re-open soon for general registration]
Leann Waldron (check out her IG: The Carolina Sewcialite) did a great job with the course content and videos. The step by step instructions were easy to follow and the videos were perfect for showing the details of each step, and what the project should look like at all stages along the way.
I didn't take pictures of every step, but I did capture the highlights, starting with the fabric! For someone who doesn't (or at least didn't, until now!) sew, we sure do have a lot of random fabric laying around. I dug through the collection and found this fun bee & jar fabric for the lining, and paired it with a heavier black & white fabric for the outside and straps. Cutting out the pieces was pretty simple, and then I lined them up to sew.
To make the straps, I took 4" x 25" strips and folded them in to the middle and then in half again to make a 1" strap. A quick ironing to set the creases, and a few clips to hold it tight and it was time to sew! (Yes, that is a mini ironing board on the floor - we've had this since college, but maybe it's finally time to get a grown up ironing board!)
Prepping the materials took longer than the actual sewing! Fabric probably doesn't need to be cut quite as precisely as I did it, but the engineer in me required crisp cut lines and square corners!
Once I had sewed the lining and outer fabrics together it was time to make the cuts for the corners. The instructions said to sew 3 sides, then fold the corners, mark the diagonal and sew. I decided to use my Boxed Corner Guides and test the instructions from The Moody Sewist (modified slightly because I had already sewn the pieces together at this point).
The instructions called for a 1/2" seam allowance, and to mark 1.5" on the diagonal for the corners. I used my 1.5" boxed corner guide from the edge of the fabric, which matched up to the 1" boxed corner guide from the stitch lines. I traced the box on each corner and cut it out. Then I went back and sewed the ends of each stitch line so it wouldn't unravel. (On the 2nd tote bag, I marked and cut the corners first (before sewing) and then just backstitched at each edge). Next, I matched the corners, and sewed the diagonals (right side of picture). Once both the lining and outer shell had sewn corners (top left), it was time to assemble the bag. This was probably the most complicated step. I lined up the straps in between the layers and sewed around the top of the bag, leaving a little hole to flip it all right side out (lower left picture).
When making the straps, and attaching the straps to the bag, I had to sew 'up' and 'down' over different thicknesses of fabrics. This caused the presser foot to be at a pretty big angle, and the fabric definitely did not want to feed smoothly as a result. This is where the Presser Foot Lifters come in handy! I used the 2 mm side when making the straps, to hold up the back of the presser foot when I was sewing the small end of the strap. I used the 3 and 4 mm ends when sewing the straps into the bag. They really help to keep the fabric flat, and moving properly across the feed dogs! I tested multiple orientations of the Presser Foot Lifters under the back and front of the foot. They are really quite simple to use and made the process so much easier. Check out this tester video with footage from UhOh Creations.
Once the straps were installed, I flipped the bag right side out, and added a top stitch around the entire top the the bag. This closes off the hole from flipping the bag, and keeps the top edge nice and flat. The final bag is perfect for library books, my water bottle and snack on a quick trip out, or even my gym shoes and paddle for pickleball! I love the coordinating fabrics, and that it is reversible.
Once I got the bag finished, I had to show it off! My kiddo took one look at it and tried to claim it for herself!
The next night, I decided to try round 2 of the tote bag project, and upped the difficultly with a few pattern modifications. I shrunk the bag a little bit and shortened the straps so it would be better sized for an 8 year old. I also added POCKETS! Tote Bag V2 has TWO coordinating pockets - one on the inside and 1 on the outside. This was a very simple addition, and provides a lot more utility. 
I'm very pleased with how the two tote bags turned out! I'm actually a little jealous of my daughter's bag, (because it has POCKETS!), and I'm already looking for a new sewing project to tackle. I'm hoping to incorporate some snaps for pocket closures, and maybe a zipper pocket in the next bag.
GF3D Sewing Notions Used In This Project:
Bobbin Buddies & Bobbin Clips, Sewing Storage Cup, Boxed Corner Guides, & Presser Foot Lifters.
If you've made it this far, be sure to check out The Carolina Sewcialite and sign up for her course when it reopens.
Head over to The Moody Sewist for all your Antique Bronze bag hardware.
Finally, fill your cart and use code ToteBag to score a HUGE [40%!] DISCOUNT on the Boxed Corner Guides and Presser Foot Lifters featured in this project.