How much batting do you usually use in a large tote? It seems to me you might want to put 2 layers--one on the outer shell and one on the lining. I'd like to hear what different folks do.

I use one layer of a lightweight polyester in my bags.

Since I use home decor fabric (heavier than quilting cotton) for most of my totes, I do not use any batting or interfacing.

For a very large one, I might try interfacing or using a tyvek type tote as the basis, but I do not like the 'puffiness' of batting for a tote (personal preference), nor do I like the 'hard' look of wonder under type bonding (again, personal preference).

Ditto! I made a large tote last January with heavy duty Wonder Under applied to the base to help protect it when I set it down. I should have made that base extend 3" instead of 1" up the sides!

I use regular batting, which I cut with each fabric piece, and sew it right into the bag. It makes the bag nice and thick, and the batting won't shift if the pieces are not larger than the recommended distance between quilting. If they are, I just do a simple quilting (diagonal lines usually) on the piece, and then stitch it in.

I use my left over warm n natural batting and only use one layer. I never even considered using more, but it's your bag baby!

No matter what style bag/tote I make, I use canvas as my interfacing along with whatever batting I have on hand. This gives good shape but doesn't end up too stiff. I tried and wasn't totally happy with all the things other people recommended to me and it was serendipitous I stumbled upon canvas. When my husband and I decided to paint some floorcloths for Christmas gifts we had some good size smaller pieces leftover, so I tried them as interfacing and loved the result. Now I won't use anything else. I have several different weight canvas (some broadcloth, some duck and some heavier weight), and which one I use depends on the type of bag/tote I'm making.