Easy, Easier, and Easiest Totes
Our Easy, Easier, and Easiest Totes are just that… easy! However, with French seams and some clever folds, instead of slapdash, these Totes are perfectly sharp. Use them all summer long for tooling around town or country, farmer’s market or beach!
This pattern is really three in one: The Easiest is a simple fold-and-sew tote, which you can whip up in a half an hour or less. The Easier version features a roomy boxed bottom, and it takes just a few minutes more. And the Easy Tote comes together in less than an hour, plus it has a lining and a pocket!
With the lazy days of summer rapidly approaching, I have a feeling this pattern is going to fit my mood. Beautiful fabric + a few quick cuts and a couple of seams = my idea of summer sewing heaven! -Molly
UPDATE: NOW IN GARMENT-DYED TOWELING
AUGUST 2022
Our Garment-Dyed Toweling Totes put a spin on our classic Easier Tote pattern! Garment-Dyed Toweling simplifies the process with its double-fold hems along both selvages, and its distinctive stripes lend some flair. You only need a yard of toweling for each tote, or you can pick up one of our four-color Garment-Dyed Toweling Bundles to make a full set. Happy sewing!
Materials
To make one tote in any of the three styles…
- Outer Fabric: A ½ yard of medium or heavyweight fabric. We used Robert Kaufman’s 10 oz Denim in Indigo Washed, Robert Kaufman’s Railroad Denim in Deluxe Twill Stripe Indigo, and Purl Soho’s Big Duck 10 oz Canvas in Natural.
- Lining Fabric (optional, for “Easy Tote” only): A ½ yard of lightweight fabric. We used Kokka’s Nani Iro Double Gauze in Spectacle Ka.
- Handles: 2 yards of Purl Soho’s Sangle Cotton Webbing. We used Light Blue, Natural, and Yellow.
- A 110-yard spool of Gutermann’s Cotton Thread to match the Outer Fabric. We used color 7330 for the denims and color 1040 for the canvas.
Sizes
Easiest Tote: 15 ¼ inches wide X 16 ¼ inches tall with a 14-inch handle drop
Easier and Easy Totes: 15 ¼ inches wide X 14 ¼ inches tall x 4 inches deep with a 14-inch handle drop
Pattern
Cut
For All Versions
From the Outer Fabric cut…
- A rectangle 18 inches wide by 36 inches long. This is the Bag Panel.
From the Webbing cut…
- Two 33-inch lengths. These are the Handles.
For the Easy Tote
From the Lining Fabric cut…
- A rectangle 18 inches wide by 32 inches long. This is the Lining Panel.
- A rectangle 7 inches wide and 7 ½ inches tall. This is the Pocket Piece.
Easiest Tote (Fold-and-Sew)
Step 1: Fold Top Edges
Press the Outer Panel, right sides together, in half so that its two short sides meet. Orient the piece so that the fold is at the bottom.
Press one of the top 18-inch edges down ½ inch towards the wrong side and then again 1 ½ inches towards the wrong side. Repeat for the second top short edge. Press a center crease at the top of these folds by bringing the top corners together.
Step 2: Attach Handles
Slip one raw end of one Handle under a top fold so that its inside edge is 3 inches to the right of the center crease. Then, without twisting the Handle, place the second raw end under the fold so that its inside edge is 3 inches to the left of the center crease.
Fold the Handle upwards over the top fold. Pin the Handle and the fold into place.
Sew the fold and Handle into place ¼ inch from the bottom of the fold and then ¼ inch from the top of the fold.
Repeat to attach the second Handle to the second folded edge.
Step 3: Sew Together with French Seams
Press the Bag Panel, wrong sides together, and pin together the raw edges.
Sew each pinned side together with a ¼-inch seam allowance.
Turn the piece wrong sides out and press it flat.
Pin together each of the two sewn side edges.
Sew each pinned side together with a 5/8-inch seam allowance.
Turn the right sides out, press, and you’re all done!
Easier Tote (Boxed-Bottom)
Follow the Easiest Tote pattern through Step 3. Make sure the bottom fold is crisply pressed. This fold is the Bottom Crease.
Step 4: Add Boxed Bottom
Turn the bag upside down. Pull the two sides of the bag apart from one another so that the side seam is in the middle and one of the bottom corners is at the top (the other bottom corner is out of the way, pointing down in the opposite direction). Poke the top corner out so it’s very pointy. Line up the side seam with the Bottom Crease and press the corner flat, as shown above.
Use a fabric marker or pencil to mark a line that measures 2 ½ inches across the corner and is perpendicular to the side seam.
Pin the two layers of fabric together along this mark.
Sew the sides together along the marked line, then trim the corner off, ¼ inch from this seam.
Turn the bag wrong sides out and press this corner in the same manner, with the two sides pulled away from one another and the side seam and Bottom Crease on top of one another.
Mark a line perpendicular to the side seam, 4 inches across the corner.
Pin the two layers of fabric together along this line and sew along the line.
Turn the tote right sides out, repeat for the second bottom corner, and you’re all done!
Easy Tote (Lined with Boxed Bottom)
This version starts out with a couple of extra steps and then follows the Easier Tote pattern.
Prepare Pocket
Fold a long raw edge of the Pocket Piece twice ½ inch towards the wrong side. Press, pin, and edgestitch this fold down. This is the top of the Pocket.
Zigzag stitch along the remaining three raw edges and press these three edges ½inch once towards the wrong side.
Attach Pocket to Lining
Press the Pocket in half so that the left and right sides meet, creating a center crease.
Press the Lining Panel in half so that the two long sides meet, creating a center crease.
With right sides facing up, place the Pocket on top of the Lining Panel so that the top of the Pocket is 2 ½ inches from the top 18-inch edge of the Lining Panel, and their center creases are lined up. Pin the left, bottom and right sides of the Pocket to the Lining Panel.
Edgestitch the Pocket into place along the three pinned sides. This is the Lining.
Add Lining to Bag Panel
Follow Step 1 of the Easiest Tote, i.e. fold the top edges of the Bag Panel.
Now, wrong sides together and lining up the Center creases, slip the top edges if the Lining under the top folds of the Bag Panel. The edges of the Lining abut the tops of the Bag Panel’s folds.
From here, just follow Steps 2-4 of the Easiest and Easier Tote patterns, treating the Lining as part of the Bag Panel.
In the end you’ll have a boxed bottom tote with a lining and pocket… Easy!
Update 2024: You can explore our current collection of beautiful fabrics and supplies on our page of Sewing Tools + Notions!
Love that pop of the watercolor lining fabric….BRAVO!
Love the totes but don’t see the size of the pocket to be sewn to the lining. Thanks, Joan
Hi Joan-
Cut the pocket piece 7 inches wide and 7 ½ inches tall. This info is also in the “Cut” section under the “For the Easy Tote” headline.
Please let us know if you have any more questions and thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi
I’m trying to make the lined tote but am unsure how to work with the lining. I don’t know how to sew them together as the lining is so much smaller than the main fabric. Help, please!
Hi Ellen-
Instructions on how to add the lining are at the bottom of the pattern under the “Add Lining to Bag Panel” section. If you read this and are still having problems please get back in touch!
Good luck with the project!
Molly
The lining measurements seem too wee to accommodate French seams. I think Johanna below may have the answer.Thanks for your reply.
Hi Ellen-
The width of the lining measurement was wrong. I am so sorry! It should be 18-inches wide, the same as the outer fabric. The pattern has been changed now and I really apologize for the inconvenience! If you have any other questions please let us know.
Best-
Molly
Magic. Thanks. I’ve just made one in a gorgeous pink cord with a turquoise lining. Delicious!
Just finished my Easy Tote and it’s very cute!
For the lining, I would make it at least 17 inches wide, as now I had to make the French seams quite wide to hide the raw ends of the lining (I probably should’ve zigzagged these, too). This might have been a calculation error on my side, however, because I converted inches to centimetres because my brain only understands metric 🙂
Thank you Purlbee for the pattern anyhoo!
Thanks, Johanna. That was my problem! The width of the lining meant the French seams wouldn’t work unless the lining was treated as a separate entity. Will try widening the lining (I too work metrically!)
Thanks!
Hi Johanna-
Thank you so much for getting in touch. You are right that the lining piece should be wider. It should be 18-inches wide, the same as the outer fabric. The pattern has been corrected now. I am so so sorry for the confusion! Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Molly
A belated thank you for this project posting. I had each of my 3 boys (12, 10, 8) make a bag this summer – from choosing the fabric/webbing to pressing and sewing. Like biking, using a sewing machine is a life skill we all need to be familiar with. Keep up the good work — especially these basic, but adaptable, projects.
Thank you for the straight forward tutorials. I am going to
try and make one.
Can’t resist replying. My son made a small tote bag with an raw edge applique and ribbon straps out of a blue coraroy scrap. He sat on my lap so I could push the pedal on my vintage singer that would race, without a gentle touch. He still had it when his own son was born, years later. 🙂 He still does sewing and mending at his house. Karen
Hello, thank you so much for posting this project! I’ve never sewn anything before but your descriptions and images were so clear that I was able to complete the lined tote bag and I must say it looks great! I bought material to make another one for my friend but I realized it’s directional so I won’t be able to cut the 36″ length, as one side will be upside down; am I able to cut two panels and sew it together on the bottom and then follow steps 1 through 4?
Thank you once again!
Hi Millie,
You certainly cut two panels and sew them together. I would be sure to add 1/4 to 1/2 an inch to the length of each panel to accommodate for the seam allowance and then you should be on your way!
Happy sewing!
Cassy
Thank you so much, cassy!! I was wondering how much to allow, I appreciate your help!
Hello again! Is there any way to use this pattern to make the tote reversible? As I went to press the tote inside out for French seam I realized how cute the bag looks inside out, too! 🙂
Hi Millie-
Sure! The french seams basically do make it reversible (if you don’t mind having the seams on the outside.) For a more traditionally reversible tote you might want to check out this pattern: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2012/06/03/mollys-sketchbook-the-forty-minute-tote/
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi, I love the ‘Easy’ pattern and have used it to make quite a few bags, however my boyfriend wants a larger more deep tote. He likes the length of the bag but he just wants it wider with a larger base. Do you have any rules/tips on scaling the dimensions? I just don’t want the pattern to get out of whack. Thanks! Louise
Hi Louise-
I would figure out the measurements you’d like the finished bag to be and work backwards from there. This is such a simple pattern that it’s hard to get it out of whack! Keep in mind that you’ll ned 2-inches for the top seam allowances and 7/8-inches for each side seam allowance.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Hi
I love all your patterns and tutorials, and I really appreciate the effort that you put in to everything you provide to us.
My question on this patter is how did you get the pocket out of the 1/2 yard of fabric? I don’t have enough fabric after cutting the 18″ x 36″ panel.
Hi Tonya,
Thanks for reaching out and for the kind words! I think I see the problem – although the outer piece is 18″ by 36″, the lining piece should only be 18″ by 32″! We used a 40-42″ wide fabric, so by placing the rectangle flush with the selvage, we still had 8″ left at the top of the half yard to cut out the pocket. Fortunately I think you can still make this work! If you used the same Robert Kaufman denim we did for the outer fabric, or any other 56″ wide fabric, you should have enough leftover to cut the pocket from your outer fabric, which would also make it easier to see your pocket on the inside of the bag. If not, after trimming your lining piece to the correct size, you could cut two 7 1/2″ by 4″ rectangles from the lining fabric. After sewing them together with a 1/2″ seam allowance your pieced pocket should be just the right size!
Best of luck and happy sewing!
Julianna
Could I also make the handles out of regular fabric and, if yes, how?
Hi Sanne,
Thanks for reaching out! You can make the handles out of fabric, though you will have to take a few extra steps to make sure they are strong enough to support the weight of whatever you put in the bag. For each handle, I would suggest cutting out a rectangle that is 33 inches by 3 1/2 inches out of both your desired fabric and a fusible mid weight interfacing. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the rectangle, then fold it in half lengthwise (like a hotdog!) with the right sides together and sew the long edge with a half inch seam allowance. After turning this long tube right side out, you can also top stitch each long edge of the handle if you wish.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Great bag, easy to follow instructions. Just love the french seams to hide all the raw edges. Neatest bag pattern I have found.
Exelente su esplicasion
I made the Easier version of the tote. This is hands-down the best pattern I’ve seen and used for the following reasons: 1) you use techniques that produce high quality, sturdy products, 2) the instructions are clearly written with well-thought out photos, 3) the progression between the 3 versions is very logical.
So no interfacing on the bag? Is that true if we use canvas or quilting cotton?
This looks great! So excited to try!
Hello Chelsea,
Thanks for writing! You are absolutely correct, no interfacing was used for the canvas or the cotton versions.
Happy sewing!
-Marilla
Sewed up super quick, I was smiling the whole time. Just loved it!
Super easy to follow instructions. Great way to use up odds and ends too 🙂
I just wanted to say thank you for the best tutorial ever for a simple tote.The neat french seams give a quality finish. I make bags for palliative care patients and their families and will be using this method from now on. Quick and easy!Thanks again .
I’ve just made two beautiful tote bags using your pattern while in lockdown here in the UK. The pattern was so easy to follow. Thank you.
Hi there,
Is there a way to make a crossbody attachment to this tote? I’m disabled so I’m looking for a more hands-free option to help lug around all my necessities. Thanks!
Hi Robin,
Thanks for writing in! We don’t currently have instructions for a cross body attachment for this tote, but thank you for expressing your interest and I will be sure to pass this along!
All the best,
Gianna
I LOVE this bag!! I’ve made the easy version at least 8 times now. They make just wonderful gifts and because they’re reversible I get twice as many trips to the store before I have to wash it. I use it for carrying books and magazines or crafts when I travel, for grocery shopping and errands or the perfect beach bag. Thanks so much!
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words! I am so happy to hear that you have enjoyed this pattern and found your tote so useful!
All the best,
Gianna
What are the dimensions of the pocket?
Hi Erin,
Thanks for reaching out! The piece you cut out for the pocket is 7 inches wide and 7 ½ inches tall, one you prepare the pocket and attach it to lining it should measure 6 inches wide and 6 ½ inches tall!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi. Thank you for the bag tutorial 🙂 Instead of canvas could I use quilting cotton for the outer fabric and interface it . Thanks. Connie 😊
Good morning. I’m hoping to make a bag with an 8″ depth (2 sets of blocking mats). If the boxed corner is cut at 2 1/2 to get a 4″ depth, would I cut it at 5″ to get an 8″ depth? And I’d need to increase my panel size by how many inches please?
I love all the options. Thank you.
Hi Helen,
Thank you so much for your patience! Based on some rough math from this handy formula we found online, we believe you’ll need to have a diagonal cut of 4″ for an 8″ depth and increase your panel size by 4″, but without the full measurements for your bag, it’s hard to say for sure. If you let us know how tall and wide you’d like your bag as well, we’d be happy to crunch some numbers again! Or you can try plugging in some numbers based on the tutorial I linked to earlier.
All the best,
Zha Zha
Good morning,
Such great patterns! I am getting ready to do the “easiest” tote and have altered the measurements to suit the need. My question is: can the “easiest” tote pattern be done as a lined tote? Does it work ok with how the handles are sewn on and do I cut the lining just a little shorter length-wise, but the same width-wise? Thank you in advance!
Denise
Hi Denise,
Thanks so much for your question! The “easy” tote is basically the same as the “easiest” tote except it has a lining and boxed corners, so it would probably be easiest to work off of that version if you’re interested in a lining. Is there a reason you would rather make the easiest tote instead? Perhaps to omit the boxed corners? Please let us know and we’ll try to figure out how best to help you from there!
All the best,
Zha Zha
love this bag. easy to follow instructions . made two of them. looks great! is it ok to sell in craft fair?
Hi Hashi!
Thank you for your interest in our patterns! While we’re happy you are enjoying our Easy, Easier, and Easiest Totes, our patterns and designs are copyrighted and are for home use only. This means that you can’t use our patterns to make things for sale. We hope you understand!
Thank you for getting in touch!
All the best,
Margaret
thank you!
Love this bag and plan on making a few for gifts. What is the width of the webbing?
Thank you
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for reaching out. The width of the webbing is 1 inch, and we still have a bit in stock, which you can purchase here!
All the best,
Lili
This pattern is so wonderful! I can’t wait to make one. What width and weight of the webbing should I use?
Thank you so much!
Joan
Hi Joan,
Thanks for writing in! The webbing we originally used for this pattern was 1.25″ in width, but the variety we currently carry (here) would also be great for this project. It’s a bit thinner, at only 1 inch in width, but it would work perfectly!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you so much for this great tutorial! I added a couple of extras to some of my bags to suit my needs: all had d-rings added to the top side seam as I needed to attach a crossbody strap to them. I am disabled and walk with a cane and I needed my hands free, so this worked out perfectly. And on a couple of bags, I added a zipper so nothing falls out if I drop the bag while walking home. I made sure to share your fantastic tutorial. TY again, I now have beautiful tote bags.
Hi Jeanna,
Thank you so much for sharing! We are thrilled to hear you have enjoyed this pattern and found ways to customize it as well!
Happy making,
Gavriella