Shopper Totes

Having made a bunch of tote bags this past holiday season, I created these two at my mother-in-laws request.  She had another similar bag that she loved to have as a daily purse/shopper and she asked if we could pick out some new fabric together.  All the fabrics are from Joann, including the liner, which is called cream crosshatch.  The liner fabric would be perfect for so many projects, it's a great neutral.  If you are looking for a nice tote tutorial, check out the free summer madras tote pattern from noodlehead.  Once you get the hang of the basic construction you can change the sizing and make a tote size that you love.  For these totes I used Dritz 3/4 inch magnetic snaps and used Pellon fusible fleece 987 for the lining backing.  This gives it some structure, but it's still pretty flexible.  I put two small squares of Pellon shape-flex 101 on the liner fabric where the magnetic snaps would be to add more support there.  I recommend using store bought trim for the handles on these totes, since the fabric is decorator weight.  It's a little challenging to make the handles from the fabric itself because of the thickness of the fabric.  The right trim also gives the bag a more 'finished' look.