I mostly use home decor fabric for the outside of the totes I make. The really heavy upholstry fabrics do not do as well as the lighter weight (like for dining room chairs) or the drapery fabrics.
The totes are not the bow tucks ones as I have been doing these for years without any pattern, just deciding what size I want to make and whether or not I want pockets both inside and out. I usually do not add batting or interfacing either, although I have used one of the pellon type grocery totes as a base and covered it inside and out with fabric. For the larger ones I do add the plastic canvas piece covered with fabric to make the bottom flat.
Have fun making your totes! And show us pictures when you're done!