Tote Bag For A Gift

One of my husband's coworkers had a brand new baby boy this week. I wanted to take a gift along to the hospital when we went to visit. My usual baby gift has been a simple handmade tote bag filled with diapers or other baby items that I have on hand. The diapers are always well-received and the bag can be used for a diaper bag or as a bag or purse for the little mama. Either way, it's practical and I do love practical.:-)

Unfortunately, all the ready-made bags I had in my stash were pretty feminine looking, so I quickly went through my fabric to find some "boyish" colors and whipped up this tote bag during nap time.

It is shown here filled with diapers and tissue paper, ready for gift-giving.



I used brown corduroy for the outside of the bag and a thrifted green plaid tablecloth for the lining. I had coordinating rick-rack for trim but since I was pressed for time, I opted to make use of a tip I had seen in blog land and fold down the top of the bag so that a couple of inches of lining showed.(Add a couple of inches to the top of the bag when cutting fabric.) I then used buttons to add a decorative touch and to hold the handles in place. What an easy way to add a decorative touch! I probably wouldn't try sewing the buttons through so many layers of corduroy again,though. It was quite difficult, but with a darning needle and muscles, I got it done!

Tote bags such as these are simple to sew. No pattern is needed; I have made my own rectangular patterns for different sizes. For the bag pictured, I made a slightly different shape simply by copying the measurements on my favorite Vera Bradley tote bag.

Happy sewing!

This post is part of Sew Crafty Fridays hosted by Shereen of Waiting for Him. Visit her blog to see more handcrafted items or to join in!