Grocery Tote

I have been wanting to make a bag to take to the grocery store for quite a while now. We have a few of the cheap ones that are practically free at the store but they're rather small and weak. Then, we have a nice one that David's mom made us at Christmas but we use it for taking stuff up to the cabin. I had the perfect fabric for it. I had fabric with a bunch of oranges on it and then a different fabric with pears and apples on it.

I had searched patterns but everything big enough needed more fabric than what I had. I only had 3/8 of a yard of the pears and apples and just under a yard of the oranges. I also wanted the oranges to be a lining, rather than a second bag. I discussed this with David's mom and she helped me figure out a pattern for a big bag that uses both fabrics (with the addition of canvas for the bottom and straps).

We used the entire 3/8 of a yard because I didn't know what I would do with scraps of such a big print. My pears and apples was 42 x 15. My oranges were 42 x 20. And my canvas was 5 1/2 x 42 for the bottom part of the bag and 5 x 32 for the straps.

First do the straps. Take your two strips and fold the long ends into the middle and fold in half again. Top stitch down both sides. (That sounds a little confusing. Lay your strap fabric down, fold up into the middle hot dog style and then fold the other half to the middle. Fold in half again (so everything is contained on the inside. I hope that makes more sense.)

Then sew your canvas to your outside piece along the 42 inch edge. Iron seam to one side. Then top stitch, making this seem like one piece of fabric. Now fold in half (right sides together) and sew along the side (opposite your folded side) and sew along the bottom (the canvas side). Do the same with the lining piece but leave a gap (to turn) in the bottom.

Keep both pieces inside out and then square off the bottoms. I did mine 8 inches wide.

Now attach your straps. Turn your outside piece right side out and let the straps hang off the top about 1 1/2 inches. Sew right across the strap. Then place your outside fabric into your lining, right sides together. Sew around the top. Turn, using the hole in the lining. Close the hole in the lining, either by hand or by machine. Now, top stitch the bag and secure the straps even further by sewing X's across the part you had left hang off.

You're done. I know it sounds complicated but it's really not. Maybe I'm just not the best at explaining it.

(Normally it doesn't hang on the bathroom door but that was the best place for a picture.)

I took it to the store this morning and it can hold more than a basket can! It's a huge bag.