PaperPrincess

I've used various patterns, but they all have a hard removable bottom. As mentioned above, nylon needlepoint canvas is good for this. I have made them with 2 layers of quilting fabric (outside & lining), or 1 layer of home dec lined with thin rip-stop nylon.

I'm leery of the patterns that just catch the handles in the top stitching at the top of the bag. I always lap them over the front or inside & use an x box:
https://sew4home.com/tips-resources/...re-straps-more

I also prefer the patterns that are one piece so have no bottom seam. I'm always concerned that the stitching will rip out and my eggs will wind up on the pavement.
If you want an inexpensive canvas option, get a drop cloth from lowes or home depot. They have 2 kinds, one has a plastic backing. I prefer the one without. Wash the canvas first. It's sturdy enough to support the weight of canned goods, but light weight enough that you can still sew it with your domestic machine.

I think my favorites are the ones I sized from a purchased 99 cent version (wall mart, kroger etc.). Same dimensions & I added those little loops so the cashier can put it on the bag stand for easy loading.

MarleneC

I made bags out of hunter green twill and embroidered a small design on each one. I made them larger enough to hold 2 gallons of milk and the handles are a good carrying length. They stand up in the carts and yet fold to stack in the car. Grocery clerks like seeing the designs and always remark favorably when we use them.

pal

There's a really good tutorial on You Tube "Sewing to sell quick & cool grocery Bag" by Virginia Lindsay. We're making them out of corduroy for our Homemaker's ladies.

I've also made them out of upholstery fabric.

There is another pattern on You Tube where the bags and the straps are one piece - rather than make straps and attach them to the bag. Sounds like a good idea, too, but it uses more fabric. hmmmm........

klswift

It is not so much the style of tote as it is the fabric used. I make dozens of totes and often use them as gift bags. I have made them from duck cloth, bottomweight fabrics, denims and PUL fabrics. I find the sturdiest ones are made from one long piece (instead of two pieces with a seam in bottom). I box the bottom corners and I use a piece of plastic needlepoint canvas covered with fabric as a removable insert in the bottom. This gives extra strength to the bottom but is easily removed for laundering. Most of the grocery totes are not lined. I do line the ones I give as gifts or to my kids for school with fun cotton fabrics. (For the school ones, I add a foam lined laptop pocket, a bit of a flap at the top and an adjustable strap. Looks a bit more like a skinny messenger bag.)

Evedib

I use this in all my purses and put feet on the bottoms. I punch a small hole for each of the foot prongs and up through the plastic canvas and it holds it in well. I wash my purses and they come out fine. I also make a bottom of a stiff cardboard or simular product and cover it with the same material as the purse to put on the bottom. When I wash them I pull the bottom piece out.

As for standing up while being filled, I think boning would work. Just make slots for several, open at the top so they can be taken out for washing!

Tudey

I deconstructed one of those 99 cent bags into two panels connected by a third, and added handles. I have made literally dozens of them, in all kinds of fabrics and they hold up well, hold a lot, and the handles are long enough to tie together to keep a bag closed if need be. I have had a lot of comments and compliments on them.

carolynjo

I use large birdseed bags too. I have covered cushions for outdoor chairs and I covered a foam wedge for sitting on in my car as I grow ever shorter.

lawsonmugs

I have several woven plastic feed bags that I am going to make totes out of. The pictures of the horses,dogs,chicks etc. look so cute. I've seen the patterns online to make these.

ppquilter

Thanks for this link, love her bag!

madamekelly

A few years ago, I made sixty (60!) fabric bags using a new, gently cut apart plastic grocery bag as my pattern. (And a pattern from Simplicity)

Here is what I learned. Cotton fabric works up great, but the cotton ones did not hold up well to all the washing they got. Woven polyester is nearly indestructible. (I used cheap broadcloth for a few of them) The simplicity was pattern was needed to figure out how to assemble the bag, and now I can make them any size I need. If I make more, I will try using all the double knit polyester I was given, and make them single layer with bias binding made from woven polyester. (Those polyester double knit pants never wore out.) I will post the results when I get around to trying it. Corvallis, Oregon, near where I live went plastic and paper bag free several years ago, so that was the impetus to try making them.

Here is a link to an easy quick shopping bag. Second hand stores here I come.
https://youtu.be/_Wj6yaTUvIM