Quiltingboard Forums - Create a quick tote with scraps

I wanted to make a friend a little gift for being such a wonderful hostess. She sent me home with 2 of her Tupperware containers back in July. I planned to see her this past week end and I wanted to return her containers with a little something.
This is a made up pattern so the size can be whatever you want.
#1. Cut a rectangle of felt or batting, I like felt best because it gives more body. I used batting on this, cause I was too lazy to go hunt the felt.
#2. Layout the design you want starting at the center of your rectangle. I have positioned the fabric on a diagonal and it is quite stunning. Since I was using scraps and wanted to whip this up fast I just marked the center, placed my scrap on the batting and started sewing from the center out.
#3. I didn't want to do the strap "thing" so I cut rectangles out of the batting as a guide.
#4. When you are through piecing, Quilt your design onto your bag. I just played with some of the decorative stitches on my machine.
#5. Cut a rectangle for your lining before you fold your bag to sew together.
#6 Sew a pocket onto your lining, I folded a piece of fabric the width of the bag in half and made a tube the turned it, pressed it and pinned it to the lining. I stitched the divided lines for the pocket and didn't sew the outside edges until I folded the lining with right sides together to sew.
#7 Don't cut the holes for the lining until you have put the bag together and turned it, or you will have to use what I had to to cover up the mismatched holes for the handles.

My almost finished bag, had to hand sew around self made double fold fabric at handles.

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make any size rectangle you desire!

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cut your lining the same size, don't cut out the hand opening on the lining until bag is together.

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start in the center placing fabric strips and work your way out.. Quilt as desired.

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Just so you can see my random stitches.

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cut handle opening after quilting as shown.

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place lining on outside of bag to position pocket placement.

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stitch dividers for your pocket, showing on wrong side so you can see my stitches.

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I highly recommend not cutting the opening for the handles until after the bag is put together. Since this is the first one I have made like this I can tell you it makes for lots of work to try to match up the opening. CUT OPENING FOR THE LINING AFTER THE BAG IS PUT TOGETHER!!!I placed interfacing onto the lining to stablize the openings for the handles

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This is the bottom of the bag, with a note of thanks, I used temtex , It's like a really big postcard, hey thats an idea..........

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OK, here is where it falls apart, I didn't take photos of squaring off the bottom of the bag, or placing the lining over the outter bag and pulling it through the side of the lining. I hope you know how to do that. I will make another one with the intention of submitting a better tut. Until then This is to give you an idea on what you can do with them scraps!

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