Hi everyone,

Happy Tuesday! We’ve got another terrific tutorial for you all today. We bring to you our Reversible Tote tutorial, an adorable tote that is both fashionable and practical. It is the perfect tote for carrying all of your little tot’s essentials or to bring to the farmer’s market for some fresh produce and flowers! It’s functional, multi-purposed, and super cute. Let’s get sewing!!

For our reversable tote, we used 2140903 #1, Orange Bicycles, for color 1 and 2140905 #1, Yellow Hoops, for color 2. Both of these prints come from Providence by Camelot Design Studio.

Click to see the tutorial after the jump.

REVERSIBLE TOTE TUTORIAL

Supplies:

- 2/3 yard of 44” quilting cotton in color 1

– 2/3 yard of 44” quilting cotton in color 2

– 2 yards of fusible interfacing in coordinating color

– Basic sewing supplies: sewing machine, iron & pressing surface, needle & coordinating thread, straight pins, measuring tape & straight edge, fabric shears, fabric marker

Notes:
*Please wash, dry & iron your quilting cotton before beginning. For this project, you’ll also want to trim off the selvages.
*A 1/2” seam allowance is included in the pattern template. Unless otherwise noted, sew all seams with a 1/2” allowance.
*This project calls for the same amount of fabric whether you are using a one-directional, two-directional or multi-directional print.

Cutting & Prep:

1. Cut out the pieces for the Tote as shown from Color 1. Cut the same from Color 2, except for the Handles.

2. Lay your Body & Handle pieces on your pressing surface, Wrong Side up, and place the fusing over them, glue side down. Iron the two fabrics together to bond them and peel the fused cloth away from your work surface – it should come away easily.

POCKETS:

For this part, you’ll want to backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam.
1. Sew each pair of matching Pockets together, Right Sides facing, leaving a 3” gap in the middle of one edge. Clip your corners and press the seams open. Turn the pockets right side out and whipstitch the gap closed.

2. Position each Pocket on a contrasting Body piece, Right Side up, so that the pockets are centered horizontally, about 3” from the top edges of the Bodies. If your fabric has directional prints, check that the patterns are oriented in the same direction. Stitch the Pockets to the two Body pieces with 1/4” seams, leaving the top edges open. Sew a second seam 1/8” from the each Pocket’s edge, again keeping the top open.

3. Sew a seam down the center of each Pocket panel, splitting it into two narrower pockets. When you reach the bottom of the seam, put your needle into your fabric to anchor it, lift your machine’s presser foot and rotate your work 90°. Put the foot back down and sew one stitch using the hand wheel. Turn your work another 90° using the method just described and sew a second seam parallel to the first, back up the center of the pocket.

BODY & HANDLES:

1. Sew your Handles in half lengthwise, Right Sides together, and baste one short end closed. Press the long seams and turn the Handles Right Side out by pushing the basted end with a knitting needle or other long stick. Remove the basting stitches and press your Handles.

2. Sew the matching Body pieces, Right Sides together, around their sides and bottom, but leave the top edges open. Press your seams open.

3. Press the bottom corners of your Body pieces as shown, taking care to line up the seams exactly. Draw a line across each corner where it’s 4 1/2” wide and box the corners by sewing along these lines, backstitching at both ends of each seam. Cut off the corners, leaving a 1/2” allowance outside these seams, and press them open.

5. Invert one Body and fit it into the other Body, Right Sides together. Make sure that the two Bodies are aligned at their side seams and the boxed corners fit together snugly.

6. Slip a Handle between the two Body layers on either side, being careful not to twist it. The Handles’ outer edges should be 3” from the side seams of the Body pieces, and their ends should extend about 1/2” beyond the Bodies’ top edges.

7. Sew the Body pieces and Handles together around the top edges, leaving a 3” gap in the center of one side. Press the seam open.

8. Turn your Tote Right Side out through the gap and whipstitch it closed.

9. Reinforce your Handles where they meet the Bodies with a few lines of stitches and hand-tack the corners of colors 1 & 2 together.

And voilà! You now have your very own sweet tote for all your daily errands. If you do decide to make this project, please be sure to send us a picture at info@camelotfabrics.com or tweet us! We LOVE seeing all of you fabulous creations.

Until next time…Happy Sewing!

PS: One more day!! Tweet our hashtag #SEWSOCIAL and enter to win our Mint to Be Fat Quarter Bundle. Find out all the info here! Good luck – the winner will be announced tomorrow.