Free Directions to Sew a Simple Durable Placemat Tote Bag

By Debbie Colgrove, About.com Guide

This free tote bag pattern is an extremely economical and quick way to sew your own durable and versatile tote bag. Watch for sales and clearances of placemats. A nice bright bold placemat that you would never use in your home may be perfect to make a tote bag. Consider doing embroidery designs on the center of placemats for an original design tote bag.

Materials Needed

• Two rectangle fabric placemats (14" by 19" are used in this article)
• 3 yards of synthetic webbing for straps - Cotton webbing can be used but being able to fuse the ends of synthetic webbing to prevent fraying is a neater appearance then a zigzagged end on cotton webbing.
• Thread to match the placemats and to match the webbing straps.
• A sewing machine with zigzag stitch capabilities.
• Optional - A piece of 1/2" to 3/4" wide twill tape or ribbon the width of your placemats.

Previous

• Materials Needed
• The Bottom Seam
• The Straps
• The Side Seams

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