Teacher Tote Tutorial

Teacher Tote Tutorial
Erin Harris • House on Hill Road
http://houseonhillroad.com
I made these totes as teacher gifts this past year. They are simple to sew and
come together quickly. With a small amount of fabric and a little time, you can have
an adorable and useful bag. Made out of canvas or home decorator fabric, these
unlined bags make great market bags and library bags, too!
To make the teacher tote, you’ll need:
• 3/4 yard home decorator or canvas fabric
• 1/4 yard coordinating print for pocket/straps
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Ruler
• Thread to match
1. From the canvas, cut 2 pieces 17” w x 20” l
From the coordinating print, cut 1 piece
9” w x 13” l for the pocket and 2 pieces
20” w x 4” l for the straps.
2. To make the pocket, fold and press each short
edge 1/2”to the wrong side. Fold the pocket
in half, right sides together, so the short edges
match. Press the fold. Sew the sides of the
pockets using a 1/2” seam allowance. Clip
corners and turn right side out. Topstitch folded side 1/8” from edge. (See photos above).
Teacher Tote Tutorial, pg. 2
3. Fold each short end of the straps 1/4” towards the wrong side and press. With wrong sides together,
fold the straps in half lengthwise and press. Open the strap and fold the edges to the center crease and
press again. Fold along center crease so the raw edges are contained in the middle of the strap. Topstitch 1/8” from long edges of straps.
4. With the stitched edge at the top and open edge at the
bottom, pin the pocket to the front of the tote so that it is
6” from the top edge and centered side to side. Starting
at the right top, sew the pocket in place by topstitching
1/8” from the side and bottom edges, backstitching at the
beginning and end and pivoting at the corners.
5. With right sides together, pin and then sew the front and
back of the bag together along the sides using a 1/2” seam
allowance. Press seams open. Serge, zig zag or pink raw
edges to prevent fraying. Sew the bottom of the bag
together in the same manner. Press the seam open.
6. To form the bottom of the bag, pinch the corner to form
a triangle. Make sure that the side seam lines up with the
bottom seam and pin the triangle flat. Mark a line across
the triangle 1” from the triangle’s point. Backstitching at
the beginning and end, sew along the marked line. Repeat
on the other corner.
7. Fold and press top edge of bag 1/2” towards wrong
side. Fold and press edge 1 1/2” again. Pin the hem in
place and stitch around the bag 1/8” from bottom of
hem to close it. Topstitch around the bag again, this
time 1/8” from top edge.
8. Turn the bag right side out and pin the straps to
the exterior of the bag so that the outside edge of
the straps are 4” from the side seams. Stitch the straps
in place by sewing a box with an “X” through it.
9. Sit back and admire your new tote! Well done.
Please note:
You may make and sell as many totes as you like
using this pattern. Do not republish any content or
photographs without my express written consent.
© 2011 Erin Harris
House on Hill Road, http://houseonhillroad.com