Making a Tote Bag

The Christmas season is upon us. I'm all for gifts that come from the heart but that are also practical. I decided to make this tote bag as a gift for someone based off of this blog. I was going for a Vera Bradley look at a fraction of the price.

If you want to make it with two coordinating fabrics, like I did, it will cost a bit more but look very polished! I bought way too much fabric and I still only spent $15. I have plenty more to make another 2 bags at least.

You Need:
2 yd fabric (1 of each design)
1 piece of single faced quilting fabric (optional, I used to reinforce the handles) 
sewing machine

My rough sketch--my bag is bigger than the blog's version

I'm not going to list step by step, because you can find that on the blog I linked to above. Here are a couple pictures of my progress.

The worst part--cutting everything out!

 

Finished bag!

 Phew! Done in about 1.5 hrs, and that's because of my pokey beginner self. I'm sure someone more experienced could move really quick on this project.