A good heavy-duty tote bag is worth its weight in gold. We use them to carry books home from the library, to hold cosmetic bags and hair accessories while traveling, as a reusable grocery bag, a gym bag, and the list could go on forever! Plus they are so easy to make it’s kind of crazy! They make a fabulous gift for your friends and family, so pick out some amazing fabric and make a whole slew of them!

This is the perfect project if you’re new to sewing as it will take you less than 30 minutes from start to finish. And eventually once you get the hang of each step, we bet you could whip them up in 20 minutes.

You’ll need:
1/2-yard medium weight fabric
1 1/2-yards cotton webbing
Sewing machine with coordinating thread
A cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter are helpful but you could also just use scissors to cut the fabric

Instructions

Measure and cut two 14″ wide x 16″ long pieces from the fabric.

Cut the cotton webbing into two 23-inch long pieces.

Pin the handles to the top edge of the fabric 2 1/2-inches from the side edge. Make sure the handles don’t twist.

Serge or zig-zag stitch the top edge of the fabric to secure the handles in the right position.

Fold the top edge over 2-inches and pin in place.

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Secure this fold by sewing a straight stitch 1/4-inch from the top edge and another straight stitch 1-inch below the first.

It should look like this when you flip it over! You’re almost done!

Pin the two panels together, right sides facing each other.

Sew a straight stitch along the two sides and the bottom 1/2-inch from the raw edge.

And finally, serge or zig-zag stitch the side and bottom raw edges to keep the edges from fraying and to keep the inside of the bag tidy. When you’re finished with this step turn the bag right side out!

Fill with books, magazines or anything you’d like and admire your handiwork!

They also double as a handy and stylish reusable grocery bag.

via babble